Paying for Conservation

New and old ways to fund protection of nature - government budgets, debt-for-nature swaps, biodiversity credits and global targets like 30 by 30 - plus a recap of the module.

Protecting nature costs money: rangers, monitoring, compensation, restoration and community programmes. Yet funding falls far short of needs, especially in biodiversity-rich developing countries.

Traditional sources

Government budgets for forests and wildlife.
International aid and conservation charities.
Tourism fees at parks.
Compensatory afforestation funds paid by projects that clear forests, as in India’s CAMPA fund.

Debt-for-nature swaps

A country’s foreign debt is bought back or restructured at a discount, and part of the savings is committed to conservation.

In 2023, Ecuador carried out one of the largest debt-for-nature swaps, freeing up funding to protect the Galápagos marine reserve.
Other countries, such as Belize and Gabon, have done similar deals.

Biodiversity credits

Similar to carbon credits, biodiversity credits would let companies or others pay for measurable improvements in biodiversity. They are at an early stage, and measuring biodiversity is harder than measuring carbon.

Global targets

In December 2022, countries agreed the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including the “30 by 30” target: protecting 30 percent of land and oceans by 2030. Rich countries pledged to increase biodiversity finance to developing countries.

Private finance

Companies are being asked to disclose nature-related risks.
Some investors fund nature-based solutions, such as mangrove restoration.

Fairness

Conservation finance should respect the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, who protect much of the world’s biodiversity.

Module recap

Wildlife has use, indirect and existence values.
Project Tiger shows conservation’s benefits and trade-offs.
Ivory bans, poaching and wildlife trade involve complex incentives.
Human-wildlife conflict and community conservancies show the importance of local benefits.
Pollinators and vultures reveal the hidden value of ecosystem services.
Invasive species and zoonoses impose large costs.
New finance tools aim to close the conservation funding gap.

The debt swap

A small island nation owes large foreign debts. A conservation group helps arrange for its debt to be bought at a discount. In return, the country commits part of the savings each year to protect its coral reefs, benefiting both its finances and its fishing and tourism industries.

Thinking conservation is only funded by charity

Governments, tourism, debt swaps, compensatory funds and new market tools all play roles.

Key takeaways

Conservation funding falls far short of needs.
Debt-for-nature swaps, like Ecuador's 2023 Galápagos deal, redirect debt savings to nature.
Biodiversity credits are an emerging tool.
The 2022 Kunming-Montreal framework set a 30 by 30 protection target.