Funding update: $1.4 billion flows into conservation in Q1

From the newsletter

Publicly announced conservation funding in Africa added approximately $1.43 billion In the first quarter of 2026, driven largely by long-term, system-level investments. The largest commitment is a $1 billion woodland restoration initiative in Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi, targeting 675,000 hectares over 40 years.

• A further $200 million was committed to conservation in Gabon under a Project Finance for Permanence long-term funding model for rainforest protection and nature-based economic development in the Congo Basin. 

• Additional funding include $122 million for South Africa’s water restoration bond, $73.4 million in biodiversity grants, $17.6 million for conservation payments, $16.5 million for re-greening in Ghana and $1.94 million for Tanzania’s basin restoration.

More details

• A $1 billion restoration initiative was launched in February 2026 across Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi. Led by Trafigura and partners, the 40-year project targets 675,000 hectares of Miombo woodland, using agroforestry and native species restoration to generate over 50 million tonnes of CO₂ removals and support 100,000 communities. 

• The European Union funded a $16.5 million Regreening Africa Phase II project in Ghana in February 2026, running from 2025 to 2028. The program focuses on restoring degraded land through agroforestry and farmer-managed natural regeneration, improving climate resilience, and supporting smallholder farmers and rural livelihoods across targeted regions in Ghana. 

• A $17.6 million private conservation financing initiative was launched in February 2026 in São Tomé and Príncipe. The project provides direct payments to approximately 3,000 residents, around 60% of the adult population, to incentivize ecosystem protection within a UNESCO biosphere reserve, linking biodiversity conservation outcomes to financial rewards. 

• An outcome-based green bond worth $122 million was developed in South Africa in March 2026 to finance ecological restoration of water catchments. The initiative involves financial institutions and conservation partners, focusing on invasive species removal and landscape rehabilitation to improve water security and support nature-based solutions over a five-year implementation period. 

• Gabon secured a $200 million conservation finance commitment in March 2026 under a Project Finance for Permanence model. Supported by the Bezos Earth Fund and partners, the initiative mobilizes long-term funding for rainforest conservation, biodiversity protection, and nature-based economic development across the Congo Basin through coordinated public and private financing mechanisms. 

• In Tanzania, a $1.94 million nature-based solutions project was funded in March 2026 to restore the Ruvu sub-basin over four years. The initiative supports 5,000 beneficiaries, promotes sustainable land use, and strengthens water resource governance through multi-stakeholder partnerships focused on improving water security and ecosystem resilience in the region. 

Our take

• Conservation finance is increasingly outcome-linked, with payments tied to measurable ecological and social returns. 

• This type of funding improves accountability and attracts larger, more disciplined pools of capital.