Climate Fund Aims for Wildlife Bonds in Every African Country

The Global Environment Facility (GEF), the world’s oldest multilateral climate fund, has unveiled an ambitious plan to launch wildlife bonds in all 54 African countries. GEF projects that with an investment of $150 million, it can raise $1.5 billion for the protection of emblematic species and ecosystems. These innovative bonds, which reward conservation successes like reduced poaching, have already been tested in countries like Rwanda and Madagascar. Unlike traditional loans, they don’t burden government budgets. Instead, they attract private and philanthropic investors by linking payouts to conservation results. As a result, the better a country’s conservation efforts, the lower the government’s repayment obligation. With global aid cuts threatening conservation efforts, the GEF hopes this strategy will fill the conservation funding gap.

Reuters