|
|
||||
| CFA Home | About CFA |
Relevant Links:
Websites & Papers |
Workshops and Conferences | Grant, Job & Training Opportunities |
|
®
Trust Funds in CIS Countries ®
WPC Sustainable
Finance Stream Background ®
WPC Sustainable Finance Stream Papers
®
Post-WPC Papers
®
CBD
Side Event
®
Gabon Training Workshop ® Vilm
Conservation Trust Fund Workshop |
||||
| WCS Conservation Finance Program | ||||
|
The Final Report of the Sustainable Finance
Stream is now available:
The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Conservation Finance Program, in close collaboration with a number of international organizations, led the Sustainable Finance Stream of the World Parks Congress (WPC) that took place on September 8-17th 2003 in Durban, South Africa. The WPC convenes every ten years as the premier global forum for examining protected areas and is crucial to establishing the agenda for the world’s protected areas. The Congress consisted of seven streams and four cross-cutting themes, covering various aspects of protected area (PA) management and conservation. This Sustainable Finance Stream proved to be a very successful event, with participants from a variety of different regions, institutions and sectors. The objective of the Stream was to present and highlight the challenges and opportunities of developing sustainable finance solutions for protected areas. Participants were introduced to a range of financial arrangements and options for the generation of revenues. The Stream also looked at the benefits protected areas offer to the wider community, considering not only what goods and services are provided but whether these goods and services are properly valued and shared. The Stream began with an overview of protected area financing, noting the significant financial gap that exists in reaching our conservation objectives. The costs of establishing and maintaining a global reserve system are estimated at 30 billion USD/year while current expenditures are estimated at only 6.5 billion USD/year. Developing countries are facing the greatest challenges in terms of financing protected areas. In order to fill the gap, diversification of revenues will have to be achieved, using a range of finance mechanisms and arrangements and in forming innovative partnerships with different sectors. Following this overview, institutional arrangements for the financing of protected areas were explored. It was agreed that governments need to develop flexible partnerships with the private sector without losing their ultimate responsibility for the management of protected areas. Partnerships among the private sector, civil society and local communities are also essential to sustainably and holistically managing protected areas. Donor coalitions for funding protected areas need to be further explored; donors should adopt transparent and shared funding strategies as well as more flexible mechanisms for delivering both targeted and long-term funding for protected area management. Applications for the financing of protected areas were discussed; workshops addressed specific topics, including: trust and endowment funds; World Heritage status appeal to donors; building complex portfolios to finance marine PA networks; the role of communities in PA financing; marketing ecosystem services; tourism-based revenue generation; private sector partnerships; partnerships for conservation with oil and gas companies; conservation incentive agreements; and debt relief. The tools in the Conservation Finance Alliance Training Guide were presented, and instructors facilitated hands-on demonstrations for participants to “try out” the different finance mechanisms. Also discussed were plans for a comprehensive capacity building program in conservation finance, including partnering with specific training initiatives and with academic institutions. The importance of developing business plans for protected areas was emphasized as a vital initial step in identifying and implementing finance mechanisms. Plans serve as a management tool, communications tool, and strategic planning tool. Protected areas that had constructed business plans prior to the Congress presented their experiences, including Tijuca National Park (Brazil) and Masaola National Park (Madagascar). Following the sessions, participants could attend short courses offering in-depth instruction in economic valuation, business planning, and conservation finance tools. The results of the Stream fed into the official outputs of the Congress, including two recommendations on financial security for PAs and private sector funding, and contributions to the Durban Action Plan and Message to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Sustainable Finance Stream Background Paper Sustainable Finance Stream Agenda |
||
|
Conservation Finance Guide |
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
