Sustainable and effective finance is critical for achieving the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), especially Target 3 – Conserve 30% of land, waters, and seas by 2030. Protected and conserved areas (PCAs) deliver immense value for biodiversity, climate, and people—but expanding and managing them effectively requires long-term, inclusive, and well-designed financial strategies.
To meet this challenge, conservation practitioners need more than funding alone—they need the right tools, governance structures, and guiding principles to ensure that finance solutions are effective, equitable, and sustainable. This includes integrating social and cultural awareness, rights-based approaches, systems thinking, and collaboration across sectors.
This new Practice Guidance for Protected and Conserved Area Finance, developed under IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), presents frameworks, principles, and practical guidance to help decision-makers and site managers mobilize and manage finance for conservation. It outlines:
- The case for investment in PCAs
- Eight key principles for guiding finance strategies
- Four good practice guidelines to optimise conservation outcomes
Hear from the experts behind the Guidance as they unpack practical finance mechanisms, share key takeaways, and walk through select examples from the 16 detailed Finance Factsheets—showcasing real-world solutions that can be applied across diverse contexts.