Financing Biodiversity Conservation

Financing the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity has been called one of the greatest challenges. At the heart of this challenge lies the low financial and political value which is often assigned to biodiversity and the resulting lack of financial mechanisms for conservation and sustainable use. This report provides an overview of existing and experimental financing mechanisms that can be used to encourage the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. To help to better understand these mechanisms, it proposes a taxonomy that divides the mechanisms into three categories: 1) Those that protect biodiversity as a public good; 2) Those that require correcting so-called "negative externalities" that hamper biodiversity conservation; 3) Those that can be used to support biodiversity-based businesses. The report ends with recommendations on how the Bank can support financing mechanisms that promote the conservation of biodiversity and its sustainable use.