Sweeping Analysis of Conservation Trust Funds to be Released November 12 by the Conservation Finance Alliance and Partners. 

Report will be released at launch webinar, free and open to the public with prior registration.

Read on WCSNewsroom.

New York (November 9, 2020) — The Conservation Finance Alliance will launch a comprehensive report, “Conservation Trust Funds 2020: Global Vision, Local Action” on November 12, 2020. The detailed report analyzes trends in Conservation Trust Funds over the last decade and explores their future role in conservation finance.

The launch webinar is free and open to the public with prior registration.

Conservation Trust Funds are private, legally independent mission-driven institutions that provide sustainable financing for nature conservation. They operate as conservation financing institutions and mobilize resources from diverse sources towards conservation actions at the local level. Unlike NGOs, and more like foundations, they do not directly implement biodiversity conservation projects.

The new report is the most comprehensive analysis of Conservation Trust Funds (CTF) to date. It draws on more than 65 interviews with CTF representatives, donors, and stakeholders; the 2020 Global CTF Survey completed by 50 CTFs; the review of approximately 300 annual and evaluation reports published by 49 CTFs; and a multi-year analysis of 67 CTF endowments that participated in the Conservation Trust Investment Survey over a 13-year period.

The report was researched and written by Wolfs Company and Aligning Visions, under the direction of a task force from the CFA’s Environmental Working Group. Authors Paquita Bath, Amilcar Guzmán-Valladares, Viviana Luján-Gallegos, and 

Katy Mathias will participate in the CFA-hosted launch event along with an expert panel, donors, and members of the project task force.

Funding for the report was provided by Asociación Costa Rica por Siempre, Fonds Français pour l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM), Global Environment Facility (GEF) Secretariat, Master Capital LLC, MAVA Foundation, Trillion Trees (BirdLife International, Wildlife Conservation Society and WWF-UK), and WWF-US.

Key Findings

• The number of Conservation Trust Funds (CTFs) has grown nearly 60% in the last decade, to 108 worldwide, while some early CTFs are celebrating 20-30 years of operation.
• Since 2009, at least US$1.1 billion have been mobilized to endowment and sinking fund accounts managed by CTFs to support conservation programs.
• CTFs disbursed well over US$2 billion for conservation programs over the last ten years, showing themselves to be an effective and transparent means of providing long term finance for nature.  
• Over the past decade, CTFs have expanded their historic role as funders of terrestrial protected areas to increase support of marine and coastal systems, economic livelihoods, and climate change, in line with global priorities. 
• Key areas for improvement of CTF management include more comprehensive and standardized impact measurement and improved asset management.
• CTFs have played a prominent role in combining increasingly diverse funding sources and piloting innovative financing mechanisms for conservation in recent years.
• Effective CTFs maintain independent governance structures while sustaining very strong ties with governmental agencies.
• CTFs routinely strive to apply the Practice Standards for Conservation Trust Funds to increase effectiveness, transparency, and access to capital.

Conservation Finance Alliance

The Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA) is the leading global professional alliance of conservation finance experts, practitioners, and organizations.  The CFA’s mission is to promote awareness, expertise, and innovation in conservation finance globally.  Our collaborative network of over 1100 volunteer members participate in CFA’s Working Groups (WG), Task Forces (TF), Executive Committee (ExCo) and Secretariat, and promote knowledge and the effective use of conservation finance tools in their activities across the planet. Visit: conservationfinancealliance.org Follow: @conservfinance For more information: secretariat@cfalliance.org

Wolfs Company

Wolfs Company works with NGOs, governments, the private sector and investors to measure, communicate and maximize the benefits of sustainable development and nature conservation. The company brings together a group of skilled professionals in business, economics, ecology and law that delivers strongly analytical advice and research products. From its offices in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands, Wolfs Company engages with an extensive international network of researchers and consultants to implement projects worldwide. Visit: www.wolfscompany.com Follow: @WolfsCompany

Aligning Visions

Paquita Bath founded Aligning Visions in 2005 to provide expertise in facilitation, program design and assessment, and organizational capacity building to conservation organizations around the world. With decades of experience working with CTFs, Paquita appreciated this opportunity to work with CFA, Wolfs Company, and CTF partners to reflect more deeply on the roles CTFs play in building the scalable innovations the planet desperately needs.  Visit: www.aligningvisions.com

WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society)

MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in nearly 60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. WCS serves as the institutional host of the Conservation Finance Alliance. Visit: newsroom.wcs.org Follow: @WCSNewsroom. For more information: 347-840-1242.