Conservation finance

Conservation finance is the practice of raising and managing capital to support land, water, and resource conservation.[1] Conservation financing options vary by source from public, private, and nonprofit funders; by type from loans, to grants, to tax incentives, to market mechanisms; and by scale ranging from federal to state, national to local.[2]

Conservationists have traditionally relied upon private, philanthropic capital in the form of solicited donations, foundation grants, etc., and public, governmental funds in the form of tax incentives, ballot measures, bonding, agency appropriations, etc., to fund conservation projects and initiatives.[1]

Although governments and philanthropists provide a moderate amount of funds, conservationist believe there is a shortage in the capital required to preserve global ecosystems. On an annual basis, they estimate in 2018 that investors must allocate $300 to $400 billion to meet worldwide conservation needs. From this amount, funders only provide approximately $52 billion per year to conservation finance.[3] Increasingly, conservationists are embracing a broader range of funding and financing options, leveraging traditional “philanthropic and government resources with other sources of capital, including that from the capital markets."[4] These non-traditional sources of conservation capital include debt-financing, emerging tax benefits, private equity investments, and project financing.[5] These additional sources of leverage serve to enlarge the pool of financial capital available to fund conservation work worldwide and, as this financial capital is invested, the asset portfolio of conserved land, water and natural resources is grown.[6]

  1. ^ a b Clark, Story (2007). A Field Guide to Conservation Finance. p. xv. ISBN 9781597267588.
  2. ^ "Overview". Conservation Finance Network. Archived from the original on 2 August 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  3. ^ Huwyler, Fabian; Kaeppeli, Juerg; Serafimova, Katharina; Swanson, Eric; Tobin, John. "Making Conservation Finance Investable". Stanford Social Innovation Review. Stanford University. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  4. ^ Schuyler, Kevin W. (2005). "Expanding the Frontiers of Conservation Finance". From Walden to Wall Street: Frontiers of Conservation Finance. p. 110. ISBN 9781597269193.
  5. ^ Schuyler, Kevin W. (2005). "Expanding the Frontiers of Conservation Finance". In James N. Levitt (ed.). From Walden to Wall Street: Frontiers of Conservation Finance. p. 111. ISBN 9781597269193.
  6. ^ Schuyler, Kevin W. (2005). "Expanding the Frontiers of Conservation Finance". In James N. Levitt (ed.). From Walden to Wall Street: Frontiers of Conservation Finance. pp. 110–111. ISBN 9781597269193.