March 28,​ 2025

World Bank credit guarantee boosts forest conservation

March 27, 2025

World Bank credit guarantee boosts forest conservation

A World Bank agency has provided a $180 million guarantee to support forest conservation via a clean cooking initiative. It aims to expand carbon credit and financing efforts by Koko Networks, a cookstove provider, in Kenya and Rwanda, promoting sustainability and environmental protection.

  • Koko Networks has successfully supplied bioethanol cooking fuel to over 1.3 million homes in Kenya and Rwanda by utilising a network of 3,000 fuel ATMs located in corner shops within low-income neighbourhoods.

  • In Africa, more than 850 million people rely on firewood and charcoal for cooking, leading to harmful pollution and increasing deforestation.

  • Our take: While conservation guarantees mitigate risks for lenders and debt providers, a 2024 review of 54 guarantees revealed that they only covered debt, leaving equity investors unprotected…Read more (2 min)

Conservation efforts in Africa have historically been influenced by external donors, frequently neglecting the value of local expertise and leadership. Beatrice Karanja, Founder and Managing Editor of Nature’s Pitch, champions the need for Africa-driven conservation philanthropy through partnerships.

  • Karanja stresses the importance of balancing external assistance with local leadership, urging African high-net-worth individuals and entrepreneurs to co-invest in sustainable and vital projects.

  • This model empowers local experts, ensuring that African landscapes are protected by those who understand them best.

  • Click the link to read the full op-ed…Read more (2 min)

Experts from the University of Southern Denmark are testing drones in Kenya's Ol Pejeta Conservancy to monitor animal movements and study behavior during night flights. Collaborating with biologists and computer vision specialists, they aim to enhance conservation by collecting valuable data on wildlife.

  • WildDrone is funded by the EU’s Marie Curie network, which is training 13 PhD candidates in drone technology, conservation ecology, and computer vision.

  • WWF’s Living Planet Report 2024 reveals that Africa has experienced a 76% decline in its monitored vertebrate populations from 1970 to 2020.

  • Our take: Africa is experiencing an unparalleled crisis with the loss of biodiversity, rendering conventional approaches to monitoring and protecting endangered species inadequate…Read more (2 min)

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The endangered northern lion’s population at Zakouma National Park is growing. In February 2025, Zakouma partnered with a lion expert from the Lion Recovery Fund to develop a park-based lion monitoring protocol.

Events

🗓️ Attend the International Conference on Wildlife and Conservation in South Africa (April 10)

🗓️Register for the Regional Conservation Roundtable Africa 2025 in Morocco (May 6)

Jobs

🌳 Apply to be a protected areas consultant at Sustainability Institute (Uganda)

👷  Become the country director for Trees for Future(Kenya)

Seen on LinkedIn 

Wanjira Mathai, Managing Director, Africa & Global Partnerships at the World Resources Institute, says, “Kelp forests, which are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, remain unsung heroes of conservation. They span one-third of the world’s coastlines, sustain millions of livelihoods, sequester millions of tons of CO₂ each year, and support vital marine biodiversity. Yet, only 2% of these ecosystems are highly protected.”

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