Date: December 12th
Time: 12pm and 9pm EST
Katy Mathias, co-author of the Conservation Trust Investment Survey (CTIS) will share findings from the annual CTIS study for calendar year 2018. In addition, Katy will share some preliminary information from the forthcoming multi-year study of CTF investment data, drawing on the CTIS project's 13 years of data. The webinar will be held twice to accommodate as many time zones as possible.
World Wildlife Fund is seeking a consultant with experience designing conservation trust funds to analyze the feasibility of creating a Conservation Trust Fund for Tribal Wildlife Conservation in the Northern Great Plains. The consultant will assess existing legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks, identify levels of interest and potential roles of government partners, analyze fundraising potential, and develop recommendations for designing (or addressing enabling conditions for) a conservation trust fund.
The full Terms of Reference is available here or upon request by emailing Libby Khumalo at Libby.Khumalo@wwfus.org.
To apply, please send a cover letter detailing the consultant’s previous experience with analyzing conservation trust fund feasibility, as well as a resume, by December 4, 2019 to Libby.Khumalo@wwfus.org.
Photo from worldwildlifefund.org
Kinship Conservation Fellows is now accepting applications for the 2020 Fellowship.
The program is looking for conservation leaders with at least five years of experience who are interested in the application of market-based solutions to solve environmental problems.
Please spread the word about this great opportunity to become part of an expanding global community of innovative conservationists!
Read more about the requirements and how to apply.
Why become a Fellow?
The Kinship Fellows Community is now 282 members strong. If you're wondering what it means to be a part of this vast global network, read about the personal experiences of our Fellows.
About the Fellowship
The 2020 Fellowship takes place from June 28 through July 29, 2020 in Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A. Over the course of the month, Fellows attend interactive sessions, participate in collaborative and independent projects, and attend field trips. Fellows are awarded a $6,000 stipend to defray travel and living expenses, and are provided housing during the program.
About 60% of Peruvian territory is covered by the Amazon rainforest, more than in any other country. With increasing pressures of deforestation, wildfires and land use change affecting the 38 protected areas in the Amazon region, the Peruvian government and conservation donors recognized the need for bold action to ensure the conservation of this important ecosystem. Partnering with the World Wildlife Fund, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Andes Amazon Fund, the Peruvian government applied and adapted the Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) approach to ensure sustainable financing and permanent conservation of 16.7 million hectares of the Peruvian Amazon. The PFP approach built institutional capacity and leveraged the power of a single closing agreement to secure commitments for US$ 140 million from private and public sources for a shared conservation goal. Join Carolin Planitzer from WWF and Cindy Vergel from the Protected Areas National Service - SERNANP to discuss the lessons learned from developing this large-scale initiative.
Further information as well as a link to register are available here.
The Foundation of Protected Areas in Madagascar is looking for an experienced consultant in the field of conservation finance to undertake a study of bilateral and multilateral public financing options. Currently capitalised at $72m, the foundation through its board and executive branch, is calling for this consultancy to assist in their resource mobilisation efforts. Please find attached the TORs in French, which is the main language to use for the assignment.
Image courtesy of islandconservation.org
The UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability is hiring a hiring a Natural Resource Economist to work on its blue economy research portfolio. This program engages with island governments on the sustainable development of their economies in balance with large scale marine conservation. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis now through 11/01.
The full description of the position is available here.
“Convergence, the global network for blended finance, launched the State of Blended Finance 2019 today on the sidelines of UNGA week. This is the third edition of Convergence’s keystone report, which outlines blended finance trends and key developments over the last year.”
The full press release as well as the full report are available on the Convergence Finance website.
By Bruno Vander Velde
“A groundbreaking effort to protect the Amazon rainforest just got a massive boost.
France has committed US$ 100 million to a new South American-led initiative, it was announced at a side event to the UN Climate Action Summit in New York on Monday, with Conservation International pledging an additional US$ 20 million. The actor Harrison Ford, a Conservation International board member, made the announcement during brief remarks at Monday’s meeting at the United Nations. “
The full article and the video of Ford’s speech is available here.
“Representatives from across Europe, Asia and Pacific are encouraging increased investment in nature from both the public and private sectors, with emerging data revealing that significant finance gaps remain for countries to achieve their biodiversity targets.
As the host country for the 5th Biodiversity Finance Regional Dialogue for Europe, Asia and Pacific, held this week, Thailand has vast natuInral resources and rich biodiversity. But the country’s economy relies heavily on nature in sectors such as tourism, food production and spa and herbal medicine.
“The value of the bio-economy stands at 3 trillion Thai baht (almost US$100 Billion) or 21% of the country’s GDP,” said Chakkrit Parapantakul, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Thailand Ministry of Finance.
“Biodiversity finance is a key element in achieving sustainable economic development. Thailand is converting to the bio-economy and circular economy and much of the economy is already bio-based,” he said.
The Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) has revealed that biodiversity-related expenditure in Thailand is estimated US$330 million or 0.5% of the overall budget or 0.1% of GDP. It needs at least US$924 million to achieve its national biodiversity targets by 2021 – at least three times higher than the current expenditures.
Renaud Meyer, Resident Representative for UNDP Thailand, said countries such as Thailand have made tremendous progress in human development.
“But it also raises the level of challenge for the environment. Do we think of the consequences of our development on the environment? We need to find solutions to finance the biodiversity costs, that will preserve our way of life – but the highest cost is the cost of in-action,” he said.
In Indonesia – the largest economy in South East Asia, the government with UNDP and others have developed a Green Sukuk – an Islamic Bond, to mobilise finance for biodiversity-related projects.
“In a Sukuk or Islamic bond, interest returns to investors are prohibited. Investors gain returns through the government leasing back underlying assets sold to investors. The Green Sukuk Indonesia is the world’s first Islamic green sovereign bond,” said Dwi Irianty Hadiningdyah, Director of Islamic Financing, Directorate General of Budget Financing and Risk Management, Ministry of Finance of Indonesia.
Nearby in the Philippines, a partnership between BIOFIN, WWF and the fin-tech company, GCash is mobilising funds to protect and restore the Ipo Watershed – an important water source for the capital, Manila. Gcash mobile money users are rewarded for using the app through virtual tree planting, which is matched and funded by Gcash and will result in the planting of 365,000 trees in the restoration of the watershed.
“We didn’t have a difficult time convincing Gcash and other companies, said Anabelle Plantilla, Project Coordinator from BIOFIN Philippines. “The private sector is open in terms of listening to the science because they want their programs to have an impact,” she said.
Mabel Niala, Head External Affairs, GCash Philippines said that the use of the app and the Gcash Forest initiative was suitable for use by self-described ‘lazy environmentalists’, due to how easy it is to use and contribute to the reforestation project.
“We’ve already reached 1 million users who have used the app and earned points to plant a ‘virtual tree’ – we will then work with partners to plant the real trees in the Ipo Watershed area,” she said.”
The article is available in its entirety on BIOFIN’s Website.
Call for consultancy: Provision of a cost effectiveness analysis for the implementation of a monitoring network for climate change impact on biodiversity within SPAMIs
The deadline for submission is 30th September 2019.
The terms of reference are available here.
Appel à consultations: Elaboration d'une analyse coût-efficacité pour la mise en place d'un réseau de surveillance de l'impact du changement climatique sur la biodiversité au sein des ASPIM
La date limite de soumission est le 30 septembre 2019.
Les termes de référence (en anglais) sont disponibles ici.
