world wildlife fund center for conservation finance

World Wildlife FundWorld Wildlife Fund

Center for Conservation Center for Conservation FinanceFinance

Presentation for Conservation Finance Retreat

Melissa Moye

February 11, 2002

WWF WWF

Center for Conservation Center for Conservation FinanceFinance

Created in 2000 based on conservation finance unit – operating since 1980s

Mission is to dramatically increase the amount of sustainable, long-term funding for global conservation

Primary client base: WWF’s worldwide network

Budget: $1 million +

ObjectivesObjectives

To consolidate the gains WWF has already made with conservation finance mechanisms such as debt-for-nature swaps and conservation trust funds, and to promote their broader application in WWF’s priority ecoregions, species conservation program, and global threats program

ObjectivesObjectives

To create new financial instruments and sources to support the sustainable funding of these conservation programs, including their testing under field conditions

FocusFocus

Geographic: worldwide based on WWF 200 ecoregions in Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Latin America and US

Sectoral: forestry, marine, species, climate

Mechanisms: Planning Mechanisms: Planning InitiativesInitiatives

Program Management Plans (3)– Brazilian Amazon– Terai Arc (Nepal)– Meso-American Reef (Belize, Guatemala,

Honduras, Mexico)

Central Africa Forests Financing Study– Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic,

Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon

Mechanisms: Conservation Mechanisms: Conservation Trust FundsTrust Funds

15 – 20 candidates Active (8):

– Madagascar– Namibia– Terai Arc– Vietnam– Mesoamerican Caribbean Reef– Argentina (Missiones)– Amazon Region Protected Areas– Kamchatka

MechanismsMechanisms

Debt-for-Nature Argentina Russia

– Tropical Forest Conservation Act and Coral Reef Coastal Marine Conservation Act

Peru (TFCA - 2002) Philippines (TFCA - 2002) Future priorities: Belize, Colombia, Ecuador,

Gabon, India, Indonesia, Paraguay, Thailand

Mechanisms: Investment Mechanisms: Investment FundsFunds

Asian Conservation Corporation (Philippines)

Green Investment Fund (Russia)

Mechanisms: Tourism TaxesMechanisms: Tourism Taxes

– Tubbataha dive fee– Bali – airport or dive fee– Maldives – airport or dive fee

Mechanisms: Communities Mechanisms: Communities and Poverty Reductionand Poverty Reduction

Successful Communities– integrating community development, health,

education with conservation in the Eastern Himalayas

Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)– Integrating the environment into Poverty

Reduction Strategies in HIPC countries

New Mechanisms: Carbon, New Mechanisms: Carbon, WatershedWatershed

Evaluating sitesBuilding expertiseDeveloping guidelinesAnalyzing fundraising potential

StaffingStaffing

6 full-time, 1 part-time staff in Washington3 affiliated staff in Washington and

CaliforniaConservation finance consultant in

YaoundeConservation finance consultant in Moscow

ExpertiseExpertise

Banking: commercial and investment (2)Conservation management (3)Languages: Chinese (1), French (4),

Japanese (1), Portuguese (1), Russian (1), Spanish (6)

Legal: domestic (2), foreign (2)Specialized: carbon, corporate finance, debt

swaps, trust funds, user fees

Tools and GapsTools and Gaps

Quarterly Review Program Day– Internal review

Consultations within WWF Network– Participation in planning meetings– Large-scale Program Management Task Force

Creation of private sector advisory board– Brainstorming– Fundraising

NeedsNeeds

Training guide (especially case studies)Targeted capacity building for selected sites

or regions (China, Central Africa)Promoting a common policy agenda

– Setting standards for carbon deals– Promoting TFCA and coral reef debt swaps

Sharing information about new mechanismsCollaboration on projects on selective basis

ContributionsContributions

Case studiesField testing of mechanisms in variety of

settingsTools developed through large-scale

program managementLegal modelsWorld-wide network