On February 6, 2019, Zdenka Piskulich, Marcello Hernandez and María José Gonzalez presented a CFA webinar on the Caribbean-Pacific Alliance and Blue Challenge.
The Caribbean-Pacific Alliance is a unique collaborative platform to address shared marine and coastal conservation issues in the Tropical Eastern Pacific and Caribbean oceans. The Alliance is composed of PACÍFICO (a platform of four Conservation Trust Funds in the Tropical Eastern Pacific), the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) Fund, and the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund. Together, they encompass two oceans, 16 countries, 4 million km2 and 5 World Heritage Sites, and through the Alliance, they have a structure to facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration. One of the Caribbean-Pacific Alliance's first initiatives is Blue Challenge, an incubator to build the pipeline of investable projects in the conservation space through technical assistance.
A recording of the webinar, and the Powerpoint presentation, are available on the Webinars page.
A second webinar in Spanish on the same content will be held in the coming weeks.
Cornerstone Partners to Launch a Global Fund to Save the World’s Coral Reefs
The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and Vulcan, Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen’s company and philanthropy, hosted a workshop in September 2018 to explore the creation of a Global Fund for Coral Reefs.
At the conclusion of the workshop, leading conservation finance experts unanimously recommended establishing a Global Fund with a dual focus:
Facilitate the use of innovative financing mechanisms, including private, market-based investments in coral reef conservation and restoration; and
Unlock financing for coral reef-related climate adaptation through the Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund, and the multilateral development banks (MDBs).
For further information on the Global Fund please see the full story from ICRI hereordownload the PDF flyer.
Winner of 2018 Pathfinder Awards for Innovative Solutions in Protected Area Finance
Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust wins the 2018 Pathfinder Award
The Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust (PONT), winner of the inaugural award, is a transboundary conservation trust fund in the Balkans that has established long-term financing, which is additionally used to attract co-financing for important conservation activities. Mirjam de Koning, the Executive Director of PONT accepted the award from the Egyptian Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad, at the opening of the CBD COP 14 in November. Read the full story here to learn about the other winners.
Watch the BIOFIN/PANORAMA joint webinar: Innovative Protected Areas Financing and Resourcing Solutions, featuring the winners of the 2018 Pathfinder Awards.
*Photo from BIOFIN site
Video on Biodiversity Finance for a Sustainable Future in Viet Nam
A new video explains how many of the finance solutions recommended through BIOFIN in Viet Nam are practical ways to build on existing structures for better financial management supporting future work on biodiversity. These include partnerships with social organisations and business communities, payment for forest environmental services, reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+), result-based budgeting, entrance fees, eco-tourism fees, and natural resources and environmental taxes and fees. Watch the full video here.
Recap from CBD COP 14 - "Finance as the Foundation for the post-2020 New Global Deal for Biodiversity"
Finance leaders gathered in November in Egypt to debate the past, present and future of financing conservation during a parallel event of the High Level Segment of the CBD COP 14. The event brought together a diverse range of leaders who are forging a new path for a post-2020 framework for biodiversity conservation – dubbed ‘the New Deal for Nature’. Read the full story from BIOFIN here.
New Case Study from Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility
The Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility (TLFF) finances local projects and companies in Indonesia focused on green growth and sustainable rural livelihoods. Convergence awarded Design Funding to ADM Capital to build TLFF's initial finance structure and pipeline.
In 2018, TLFF completed its inaugural transaction, which is also Asia's first corporate sustainability bond: a landmark $95 million long-dated sustainability bond to finance sustainable natural rubber production in Indonesia. This case study focuses on its inception and design.
The full Case Study is available here.
Requests for Proposals from M2PA
The Association for the Sustainable Financing of Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (M2PA), is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to design a Mediterranean Conservation Trust Fund and to develop operational guidelines.
Please click here to see the RFP and Terms of reference with all the necessary information for interested Offerors.
Deadline for submission : March 24th 2019.
Join the CFA as an Institutional Member
The CFA was created by leading organizations in conservation finance in 2002 and these institutions form the backbone of conservation finance expertise globally. Joining the CFA as an institutional member connects your organization’s key finance practitioners to the CFA’s global network and recognizes your organization's participation in the Alliance by providing a logo and link to your organization on the CFA website.
To join as an institutional member your organization should:
Support the philosophy and Mission of the CFA.
Provide your Logo solely for purposes of displaying your membership in the Alliance on the CFA websites and presentations.
Commit to participation in the CFA Working Groups or Task Forces.
Share pertinent updates and information about your organization’s conservation finance activities.
To become a CFA Institutional Member, please fill out the form on the CFA Website. Applications for Institutional Membership are processed by the Secretariat.
CFA at the World Ocean Summit
The CFA and WCS, through generous support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, Vulcan Inc. and the Pacific Ocean Finance Program, are collaborating with The Economist for the upcoming World Ocean Summit panel entitled: Masterclass 2—Mobilising Capital: Engaging Investors in Coral Reef Finance. David Meyers CFA Executive Director and Melissa Walsh - CFA Member - will be panelists in this session. The World Ocean Summit will be held March 5-7 in Abu Dhabi. Click here to register. Please notify the CFA Secretariat if you will be coming so we can arrange for a meeting or dinner.
POFP Request for Expressions of Interest: Improving Large-Scale Marine Protected Area Finance
The Pacific Ocean Finance Program is supporting the analysis and development of several ocean finance mechanisms including a Pacific Ocean Bond, Pacific Ocean Insurance, and a Replicable Community Managed Marine Area Finance Mechanism. This terms of reference (TOR) supports the analysis and development of finance for large-scale marine protected areas (LSMPA).
Expression of interest and supporting qualification documents must be delivered to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by fax or by e-mail) on or before 4pm Solomon Islands time on 11 February 2019. Procurement questions may also be addressed to this contact.
For full background and details on the consultancy please download the full ToR here.