Backgrounder: Canada’s new support to protect biodiversity in developing countries

Canada has announced $255 million in new climate financing to support developing countries address the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. The funds are distributed as indicated below.

Project: Global Environment Facility
Partner: World Bank Group
Funding announced: $219 million for fiscal years 2022 to 2027

This funding represents Canada’s contribution to the 8th Replenishment of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The GEF helps support sustainable land and forestry management, reduction of air and water pollutants and protection of ecosystems, in addition to climate change mitigation. The GEF also focuses on international waters and oceans management.

The GEF is one of the largest sources of global environmental financing and Canada’s primary mechanism for supporting developing countries to address environmental challenges outside of climate change. Canada’s contribution to the GEF includes $73.92 million sourced from its $5.3-billion climate finance commitment.

Project: Partnering for Climate: Feminist Climate Action in West Africa
Partner: Inter Pares and Solidarité Union Coopération (SUCO) [solidarity union co-operation]
Funding announced: $16 million for fiscal years 2022 to 2026

Canada’s support will help scale up community-based responses to climate adaptation by strengthening the participation of women and youth in local governance of biodiversity and climate action, improving agro-ecological practices and ecosystem rehabilitation, and enhancing economic empowerment in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and Togo. Activities include the design and implementation of ecosystem management and development plans, support for strengthening climate-resilient agro-ecological practices, and the installation of nurseries and reforestation of coastal ecosystems.

This project is part of Canada’s $315-million Partnering for Climate initiative to fund projects from civil society, Indigenous peoples, and other organizations in Canada that will support climate change adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the world.

Inter Pares and SUCO are Canadian non-governmental organizations.

Project: Finance Solutions for Nature, Climate and People / Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN)
Partner: United Nations Development Programme
Funding announced: $10 million for fiscal years 2022 to 2026

Canada’s funding to BIOFIN will help implement climate-nature positive-finance solutions, improved biodiversity management and climate adaptation with clear benefits for women and Indigenous groups in developing countries, as well as enhanced well-being for people dependent on nature’s services. Activities of this initiative include clarifying biodiversity financing needs, developing a finance plan and selecting priority solutions with the highest potential to implement the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

Project: Moroccan Forest Strategy / Projet Femmes résilientes au Moyen-Atlas (FERMA) [resilient women of the Middle Atlas project]
Partner: Société de coopération pour le développement international (SOCODEVI) [international development co-operation company]
Funding announced: $10 million for fiscal years 2022 to 2028

Canada’s contribution to SOCODEVI, a Canadian non-governmental organization, for the FERMA project will support the operationalization of the new Moroccan Forest Strategy in the Khenifra National Park area. Extending across the Middle Atlas Mountains and covering an area of 202,700 hectares, the park is home to the largest cedar forest in Morocco and shelters wildlife such as the rare Barbary macaque, stag and wild boar and Cuvier’s gazelle. Overexploitation of pastoral areas, combined with persistent drought and a growing demand for wood, threatens biodiversity and accentuates the precariousness of Moroccan populations living in this area. This project takes an integrated approach to the management of forest ecosystems and recognizes the key role local communities play in the protection and conservation of biodiversity.