Rapid Review of Conservation Trust Funds
IUCN World Conservation CongressBarcelona, October 7, 2008
Melissa Moye Director, Conservation Finance, [email protected]
Conservation Trust Fund (CTF) Anchor to a sustainable financing strategy
• Long-term financing (at least 10 to 15 years) for biodiversity conservation and related purposes
• Legally independent, and governed by a board of directors that includes members from civil society
• Not a silver bullet for covering all recurrent operating costs: one financing source among others
Conservation Trust Funds in the World
Capital Raised An estimated $810 million
Worldwide (74% in LAC, 10% in Asia, 9%in Africa, and 7% in Europe).
Number of CTFs ~ 55
CTFs Serve as “Umbrella Funds”
Manage separate fund accounts
for different purposes
CTFs Have Diversified Sources of Funding
• The total amount contributed by donors to CTFs probably exceeds $1.2 billion
• CTFs can serve as an effective means for mobilizing large amounts of additional funding for biodiversity conservation from international donors, national governments and the private sector
• Almost all CTF Boards have a non-government majority
• Boards with a non-government majority are usually more transparent, participatory and efficient
CTFs Act as Public Private Partnerships
Not Enough CTFs are Addressing Impacts on Biodiversity
• Most CTFs are good at monitoring and evaluating project completion indicators, but not equally good at monitoring the biodiversity impacts of their grants
• Learning from experience needs to be more systematic and RedLAC is facilitating such learning
Financial Management
• Rate of return on investments of CTFs similar to US university endowments: average of 10%/year from 2002-2006 (Conservation Trust Investment Survey)
• Administrative costs range from 5% to 65%, but 15% is average, and is often the limit set by donors
Why should we invest in CTFs?
• Support national PA systems• Strengthen the capacity of national government
PA agencies and local conservation NGOs• Enhance donor coordination • Introducing higher standards and accountability• More predictable & multi-year commitments• Delegation of authority for performance meeting
targets and standards • Increase transparency
CTFs support the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness
CTFs Have Potential New Roles
• Act as a financial intermediary between buyers and sellers of ecosystem services (PES)
• Provide small grants management services
• Manage biodiversity offset funding
For more copies, send an email to: [email protected]
Download at: www.redlac.org
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