Welcome to the Conservation Finance Guide. The overall goal is to provide practical tools to support the rapid expansion of sustainable finance mechanisms that generate long-term funding for biodiversity conservation.
This Conservation Finance Alliance Guide includes definitions, links to cases, and the legacy CFA Guide
Conservation Finance (or Biodiversity Finance) is defined as mechanisms and strategies that generate, manage and deploy financial resources and align incentives to achieve nature conservation outcomes. This Guide is provided by the Conservation Finance Alliance - the leading global alliance of conservation finance experts and practitioners. Please visit the main Conservation Finance Alliance site for more information on webinars, additional resources, and to become a CFA member.
Updated Conservation Finance Guide
Legacy Conservation Finance Guide
The Guide is presented under 7 Classes of finance mechanisms (based on Conservation Finance: A Framework).
Click on the different Classes of Conservation Finance Mechanisms immediately below for definitions, related finance mechanisms, and links to case studies. Individual definitions of most categories within each Class are sourced from the BIOFIN Finance Solutions Catalogue.
Return - Based Investments
Economic Instruments
Grants and Other Transfers
Public Financial Management
Financial Efficiency
Business and Markets
Risk Management
Detailed Guide Entries
These entries offer detailed guidance on how to implement specific finance mechanisms beyond what is offered in the above Guide.
Tourism Entrance and Activity Fees
(Economic Instruments —> Fees and Charges)
Tourism Concessions in Protected Areas
(Economic Instruments —> Fees and Charges)
International Public Climate Finance for Biodiversity
(Grants and Other Transfers —> Increase Biodiversity Component of Climate Aid)
The information provided in these downloads dates to 2002.
Some of the below entries are available in French (FR) and Spanish (SP) as indicated.
The Legacy Conservation Finance Guide, written between 2002 and 2003, can be found below. Components of this Guide have been used to structure the new Conservation Finance Guide.
Biodiversity Enterprise Funds (FR)
Biodiversity Prospecting (ES) (FR)
Debt-for-Nature Swaps (ES) (FR)
The Global Environment Facility (ES)
Financing Marine Protected Areas (ES) (FR)
Payments for Watershed Services (FR)
Philanthropic Foundations (ES) (FR)
Bilateral and Multilateral donors (FR)
CFA’s guidance on Business Planning for Protected Areas (legacy material, 2002).
Writing a Business Plan for Protected Areas
Link to accompanying Excel spreadsheet
Other Business Planning Resources
This Conservation Finance Guide is a project of The Conservation Finance Alliance
The Conservation Finance Alliance is maintained by generous financial and in-kind contributions from its members and donors. CFA sponsors support the secretariat structure, operations and thematic projects.
