12 October 2012: On the occasion of the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Hyderabad, India, the World Bank has released a report that presents new approaches to financing nature conservation that can mobilize funding and community action and provide the long-term sustainability needed to secure healthier ecosystems and improve livelihoods.

The report, titled “Expanding Financing for Biodiversity Conservation: Experiences from Latin America and the Caribbean,” discusses five case studies that use diverse sources of financing to fund effective conservation and community development. One of the case studies highlighted describes how the state of Acre decoupled its economic growth from deforestation. The State has reduced deforestation rates by 70% while growing its gross domestic product (GDP) by 44% between 2003 and 2008. The decoupling was achieved by reducing illegal deforestation through the monitoring of timber licenses, enforcing environmental regulations, regularizing land tenure and creating development programs in intact forest areas. Another case study, from Peru, shows how the country attracted additional funds to its protected areas by signing management contracts with NGOs.

The report concludes with some keys to success, including: variety in arrangements, with governments raising resources from diverse stakeholders, and adapting a variety of arrangements to local circumstances; enabling legal and institutional support; and clarity about conservation objectives. [World Bank Press Release] [Publication: Expanding Financing for Biodiversity Conservation: Experiences from Latin America and the Caribbean]