Biodiversity Fund approves $70m for nature restoration in Angola, Cameroon, Senegal, 18 others

By Faridat Salifu

The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) has approved over $70 million in project preparation grants for 18 new projects across 21 countries, including 13 Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States in its mission to restore nature by 2030.

These intervention will support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in nations such as Angola, Belize, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Fiji, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Mozambique, Nauru, Palau, Peru, the Philippines, Samoa, Senegal, South Africa, Suriname, and Tonga.

GEF CEO and Chairperson Carlos Manuel Rodríguez celebrated the announcement during the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) week.

He said, “The approval of these grants demonstrates the fund’s commitment to allocating resources efficiently to impactful projects that promote inclusiveness. We are part of the Plan,” referencing this year’s IDB theme, which calls on stakeholders to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

According to him, these new projects aim to advance several targets of the Biodiversity Plan, particularly goals 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 13, 18, 19, 22, and 23.

They also aim to enhance biodiversity across more than 8 million hectares of terrestrial and marine protected areas.

The second round of grants includes projects from six GEF implementing agencies: the Asian Development Bank, Conservation International, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, and WWF-US.

It was recalled that in March, the GBFF approved a first round of grants totalling nearly $40 million for four projects in Brazil, Gabon, and Mexico. Combined, these two rounds allocate $110 million for 22 projects in 24 countries, with 35 percent of the funding supporting biodiversity actions by Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

GBFF resources are allocated through country-driven, consecutive selection rounds open to all eligible countries.

Launched in August 2023 during the GEF Assembly in Canada, the GBFF has so far received contributions from Canada, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, Spain, and the United Kingdom.