Story | 09 Jun, 2017

Financing Conservation: Incubator for Innovation

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR PARTNERSHIP

IUCN is seeking to partner with protected and conserved areas to seek and learn ways to improve conservation financing.

(Please note: this is not a grant programme)

We are looking for partner sites that already participate in the IUCN Green List, or otherwise demonstrate a strong commitment to effective and equitable management and conservation.  We wish to collaborate with partners to develop ideas and implement conservation finance solutions, through our new conservation financing incubator programme.

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Van Long, Viet Nam

Photo: James Hardcastle

What is an incubator?  An incubator is a mechanism to help nurture and grow new businesses or ideas, by providing training, advice and technical support. Through this programme, IUCN will provides services to help set up sustainable financing systems in protected and conserved areas.

This is an open invitation to propose suitable protected and conserved areas. We are asking managers, community representatives or organizers, private businesses, NGOs, government representatives, or other experts, collectively or individually, to nominate sites for the pilot phase of this programme.

Site proposers are asked to send us ideas for how to unlock sustainable financing in the proposed sites, and to identify any potential long term financing sources (e.g. tourism, sustainable products, ecosystem services, etc.).  IUCN will work with partners to help realize these ideas, and find new solutions for financing problems.  Specific activities will depend on the needs of the site, but may include:  

  • trying to connect sites to possible funding opportunities and investors;
  • developing financing strategies and business plans;
  • working with regulators and government agencies to ensure enabling conditions for financing;
  • navigating legal and regulatory frameworks;
  • building on-site capacity for raising and managing funds;
  • other activities as needed and appropriate.

We are interested in working with all types of protected and conserved sites.  This includes community and private protected and conserved areas as well as sites governed by government.  All countries, geographical regions and eco-regions are eligible.

Proposals should have the support of key management authorities and stakeholders.

How to submit a proposal

To submit a proposal, complete the SITE PROPOSAL TEMPLATE, and send it to financeincubator@iucn.org.

To be considered, site proposals must be received no later than 31 July 2017.