Here is a new tool for implementing conservation finance

October 05, 2025

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The ratification of the UN High Seas Treaty this month is expected to unlock new conservation finance for Africa, supporting marine protected areas and biodiversity research. As the first legally binding framework for international waters, it creates pathways for investment and partnerships that African countries can use to strengthen conservation.

  • In 2015, Seychelles launched the world’s first debt-for-nature swap to protect 30% of its waters and issued the world’s first sovereign blue bond in 2018, raising $15 million for ocean protection.

  • Africa's extensive coastline, exceeding 30,000 km, makes marine economies vital for countries that rely on fisheries and marine biodiversity. However, these ocean-dependent sectors face significant threats from climate change. 

  • Our take: The new treaty gives Africa its strongest-ever legal and financial tool to scale marine conservation beyond borders…Read more (2 min)

Inadequate data is a major challenge for conservation efforts in Africa, especially given limited resources. In an interview with Conservation Rising, Enock Kiminta, the CEO of the Kenya National Water Resource Users Association, explains how citizen scientists are bridging the data gap for water conservation in Kenya and supporting informed decisions.

  • Citizen scientists in Africa can and do collect data on forests, species, wetlands and water. Successful projects across the continent demonstrate that volunteers can effectively and reliably monitor the environment at a scale and cost that professional researchers and institutions cannot match.

  • “Community-led water quality monitoring does not replace government or scientific programmes happening around these water bodies. Rather, it adds value and strengthens them, because government agencies cannot monitor every river across the country,” says Mr Kiminta.

  • Read the full Q&A here…Read more (2 min)

A new nature carbon project in Zambia is set to involve more than 240,000 people in restoring 185,000 hectares of Miombo woodland. Known as the Ecopreneur Movement – Miombo Woodland Restoration Project, it aims to remove up to two million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year while creating long-term income for rural communities.

  • Local farmers and community members will be trained as both environmental stewards and entrepreneurs. More than 25,000 have already joined the programme, with the number expected to double by year-end.

  • The project provides funding to farmers upfront for their ecosystem services. Once carbon credits are generated and sold, 60% of revenues, after registry and regulatory fees, flow back to the farmers and communities. 

  • Our take: By guaranteeing 60% of revenues, this project challenges the old extractive models where local people are last in line…Read more (2 min)

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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in collaboration with the Government of Mozambique, the African Forest Forum (AFF) and development partners, convened a regional workshop to advance sustainable management of dryland landscapes.

Events

🗓️ Follow the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi (October 9)

🗓️ Take part in World Migratory Bird Day 2025 (October 12)

🗓️ Attend the 6th World Congress on Agroforestry in Rwanda (October 20)

Jobs

👷 Be the Biodiversity Officer at African Wildlife Foundation (Kenya)

👷 Apply to be the Programme Director at Conservation International (South Africa)

👷 Join IUCN as a Programme Assistant (Tanzania)

Various 

🌳 Researchers launch a global dataset on bird conservation

🌳 Researchers train on remote sensing for conservation

🌳 Liberia tries new conservation method

Seen on LinkedIn 

Jackson Otemo, a conservation expert, says, “One common misconception in conservation is that local communities are a threat to biodiversity and should be kept away from protected areas. The Reality is that indigenous and local knowledge often complements scientific approaches.”