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2018 WORKBOOK
The new browsable online version
BIOFIN has launched an interactive microsite of its flagship publication – the BIOFIN Workbook. Scroll easily through chapters and sections and jump to all the infographics and diagrams without trawling through the full PDF.
Browse the microsite here.

Finance for nature – a commitment to the sustainability of the planet
More than 60 experts from Latin America and the Caribbean met in Cartagena, Colombia to exchange experiences on economic and financial tools associated with the management of the planet’s biodiversity. Economists, governments of the region, multilateral banks, private sector and participants of the BIOFIN initiative from more than ten countries in Latin America analysed the financing challenges and shared strategies and instruments to overcome them.

Read the full story.

Read the press release.
 
Over 3300 biodiversity finance practitioners join the 2019 MOOC
More than 3300 participants from 170 countries joined the BIOFIN Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in April and May, hosted through UNDP's Learning for Nature platform. The course took them on a thorough journey with the help of weekly webinars in four languages and a host of renowned speakers and experts. The MOOC was able to reach and influence key target groups with 55% of participants able to influence policy in their job, and 94% of those participants will use concepts from the course to influence policy in the future. 

Viktoriia Brezheniuk, E-learning and Capacity-Building Analyst at UNDP and the course coordinator, said the active involvement of national teams in the course production process truly boosted the interaction in the course room, resulting in a completion rate of two times the industry average, over 4,000 engagements on the Learning for Nature course forums, and the highest number of testimonials received thus far.

Read the report here
View all the webinars and videos.
Walking for hours to learn about BIOFIN
Meet Oscar Rojas from Fondo de Páramos Tungurahua y Lucha contra la Pobreza, and a participant of the recent BIOFIN MOOC. Learn how Oscar's organisation is using the tools gained in the course to advance its mission of conserving the Páramo ecosystem in Ecuador and how he and his colleagues walked several hours each week to the nearest village to print materials from the MOOC.
Read the full story here.
Seven things to keep in mind when adding value to Africa’s genetic resources and stimulating investments in its bio-economies
For biological and genetic resources to become development accelerators in Africa and elsewhere, we need to make a strong business case to change the current paradigm, where natural resources are extracted often in raw forms with little local benefit, and move towards higher value-added products which benefit the communities and countries directly, wrote Fouad Bergigui and Herve Barois in this blog.
SEYCHELLES
Tourists and invasive species: tackling biodiversity finance in Seychelles
Financial benefits worth more than USD 6 million per year could flow in Seychelles through the implementation of several finance solutions in the small Indian Ocean island nation – but a  substantial financial gap remains to properly protect its biodiversity. Seychelles is already protecting 50% of its terrestrial territory but is expanding its marine protected area to cover 30% of its Economic Exclusive Zone representing, 400,000 Km2. In April, the Seychelles Cabinet of Ministers approved the Biodiversity Finance Plan – developed through BIOFIN – as well as a suite of biodiversity finance solutions that will contribute to closing the finance gap and ensure the sustainability of its natural resources and biodiversity. Read the full story here.
THAILAND
HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn advocates for biodiversity finance
At an event for International Day of Biological Diversity, Thailand’s Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn recognised the importance of conserving and better managing the country’s biodiversity to build a sustainable economy and prosperous society. The Princess has sustained interest and built on her involvement in the BIOFIN Day events in 2017, bringing widespread interest and support for biodiversity finance issues to the general public, various government departments and the private sector in Thailand. Read the full story here.
KYRGYZSTAN
Biodiversity Finance Plan launched in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan has presented its Biodiversity Finance Plan, to the Ministry of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic and the State Agency of Environmental Protection (SAEPF). The Director of Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Protected Areas of the SAEPF Mr Almaz Musaev said: “Thanks to BIOFIN, we have identified our financial needs is about 2 billion Kyrgyz soms (USD 30 million) until 2023 for biodiversity conservation." Finance solutions include improving budget formulation and execution for protected areas, reforming harmful subsidies in agriculture and introducing new instruments to mobilise additional resources for the conservation of nature including through finance from donors, the public and the private sector. Read the full story here.
ECUADOR
Promoting sustainable business, banking and finance for the bio-economy
UNDP through BIOFIN has joined the Sustainable Finance Protocol, led by the Ecuadorian Association of Private Banks (ASOBANCA). The protocol promotes sustainability initiatives into the business, banking and financial sectors for the development of innovative green credit lines that promote the bio-economy, the protection of biodiversity and the reduction of greenhouse gases, among other actions. Read the full story here.
PHILIPPINES
#KeepThemWild: CSR program for confiscated illegally-traded wildlife
To raise funds for the refurbishment of homes for confiscated illegally-traded and surrendered wildlife, BIOFIN Philippines together with the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Faber-Castell, Wildlife Rescue Center (WRC) within the Biodiversity Management Bureau, Haribon Foundation and the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center organised a fund-raising event called #KeepThemWild. Read the full story here.
INDIA
India’s Biodiversity Finance Plan launched on International Biodiversity Day
India’s Vice President, Shri Venkaiah Naidu launched India’s Biodiversity Finance Plan during celebrations in Chennai for International Day of Biological Diversity. In his address, the Vice President highlighted that conservation of nature and natural resources is an innate aspect of the Indian psyche and faith, reflected in religious practices, folklore, art and culture permeating every aspect of the daily lives of people. Read the full story here.
CUBA
Biodiversity Finance Plan approved in Cuba
The Cuban Biodiversity Finance Plan was approved in early July by the BIOFIN Steering Committee at a meeting in Havana. Cuba has made considerable progress in advancing its biodiversity finance solutions including protected area user fees, public sector budgeting and Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES).  Read the full story here.
Following the second Regional Trialogue in the Caribbean, one of the participants from the Dominican Republic, Dr. Venecia Alvarez contributed an article to the Verdor Magazine - the magazine of the Dominican Academy of Sciences in the Dominican Republic.
Read more here.
Copyright © BIOFIN/UNDP

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