IUCN Academy’s Post

Seed Grant Funding OPEN 👏 We are excited to announce the launch of our Seed Grant funding, which is now an online application. We are offering grants of up to £2,000 to support climate action projects in Moray. We have £27,500 available, with £20,000 specifically allocated for nature restoration in partnership with the Moray Council as part of the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund. 🐞This funding aims to protect and restore Scotland’s biodiversity on land and sea. https://lnkd.in/eKMEdftC Moray CAN Funding - Applications Open 8 July Funding details: - A total of £7,500 for seed grants available in this round - An additional £20,000 specifically for nature projects - Grants available are up to £200 for individuals and up to £2000 for constituted groups and organisations Applications will close 2nd sept. As discussed in our last network meeting, we will have a panel to decide on applications this year.#letsdonetzero #naturerestoration#climatechange

📢 Funding Alert! 📢 All projects need a launch pad - Funds are being made available for projects which combine both Climate AND Biodiversity action. The new WALD Innovation Facility has just released its first “Call for Concepts” where a project summary can be used to apply for funding from EUR 750,000 to EUR 1.5 million and for up to two years. They must implement restoration activities on the ground, including community development and activities that lead to registration with a carbon standard to attract further finance. They should see and use the funding as a springboard, and continue activities after the support period has culminated. Here’s the deadline: Project proposals must be submitted by Thursday 13 February 2025 at 17:00 (5pm) Central European Time (CET). Full news here on IUCN news pages: https://lnkd.in/erH5xgeG #ClimateFinance #NatureFinance Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) UN Biodiversity KfW BirdLife International Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH IUCN Water and Wetlands Wetlands International UBS Optimus Foundation Conservation International The Nature Conservancy Global Mangrove Alliance Save Our Mangroves Now! IUCN Asia IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation

Financial sustainability is a cornerstone of conservation efforts that extend beyond protecting ecosystems to fostering community resilience and economic growth. In places like Yanachaga Chemillen National Park and the San Matías San Carlos Protected Forest, Perú, diverse funding mechanisms are being explored to ensure long-term impact.   International cooperation, carbon credit programs, and national funding sources are key components of these strategies. Additionally, entrepreneurial activities supported by local partners enhance self-sufficiency and contribute to sustainable development within Indigenous communities.   These approaches highlight the importance of integrating financial mechanisms to strengthen the conservation of natural areas while promoting socio-economic benefits for surrounding communities and Indigenous Peoples. A balanced, multi-faceted strategy is essential for ensuring the sustainability of these vital ecosystems. #ActForForests #SaveForestsNow

📣 I’m so looking forward to the 24th of May. At 1pm UTC, I will be moderating MORFO's online panel event: 🌍 Effective community engagement strategies to maximise large-scale forest restoration success 🌍 The UN declared 2021-2030 as the ‘UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration,’ urging countries to restore one billion hectares of land. However, at the current rate, only 5 percent of this goal will be achieved. Stakeholders must do better. To learn more about forest restoration successes, I am looking forward to speaking with Katherine Sinacore Bruno Gomes Emira Cherif and Cibele Santana. Our conversation will cover: 🔸 An overview of the latest scientific research on integrating local populations into ecological restoration projects; 🔸 Mistakes made in the past in integrating local populations into these projects, especially regarding funding issues; 🔸 How Morfo, as a technical restoration solution, assists project developers in creating “high quality” projects that are sustainable economically and socially; and 🔸 The role of technology and data in enhancing the efficiency and impact of restoration projects, including community monitoring and feedback mechanisms. #Restoration #NatureBasedSolutions #ForestRestoration

🔍What are youth perspectives on Nature-Based Solutions? How can youth become further involved in their development and implementation? We try to answer these questions through your answers to our survey. More than half of the respondents are familiar with Nature-Based Solutions and heard about the Nature Restoration Law (which makes us very happy and proud). Many participated in Nature-Based Solutions initiatives such as reforestation projects, green infrastructure and coastal restoration. Other responses included indigenous agriculture, organic farming and wetland restoration, underlying the variety of NBS. These opportunities were mostly possible through volunteering, activism and Erasmus projects. Those who did not take part in such activities lament the lack of opportunities or information where they live or are more interested in other topics. 📣 Can you mention in the comments the names of specific NBS initiatives to get involved in? Let’s spread the word and make them more visible within our community! #NatureRestoration #NatureRestorationLaw #YouthInclusion #GenerationClimateEurope

Our recent collaborative report with Irish Environmental Network on Funding #NatureRestoration in Ireland includes a recommendation to develop new ways of blending private finance for restoration in order to expand on, accelerate and scale up existing publicly-funded pilot projects which are making strides for nature. https://lnkd.in/eZ2MnsR4 So we are watching with interest as new global models emerge to harness the impact of blended finance for nature. The #DarwinFund is a newly launched $100m grant and blended finance fund that applies planetary computing, conservation science and Indigenous knowledge to amplify, accelerate and scale the best conservation and restoration projects from around the world. The California-based initiative is bringing together buyers, sellers and market makers to unlock global institutional investment in nature. The team promise 'forensically deployed grant funding and debt finance' to enable 'high-integrity projects' based on the 'best-available science'that 'leverage-in many multiples of investment to deliver sustainability, scale and replicability'. The 2025 funding application process is now open, accessible via the website: www.darwinfund.org

🌊 Ocean Associates, Inc. is honored to support NOAA’s newly published report, "Investing in America: The Estimated Socioeconomic Impacts and Ecosystem Services Benefits of NOAA Coastal Management and Habitat Restoration Investments." 📄 This report highlights the transformative power of coastal investments, showcasing their role in boosting local economies, protecting ecosystems, and strengthening communities. Alongside a great team from Eastern Research Group (ERG) and NOAA’s Office of Performance, Risk, and Social Science we found that the $717 million invested in coastal resilience projects will lead to 7,800 jobs and $1.4 billion in economic output for coastal communities. These investments are also improving resilience among underserved, Tribal, and Indigenous community’s populations and generating ecosystem service benefits valued at $725 million annually. We're proud to have played a part in advancing this critical work for a sustainable future. You can dive into the findings at https://lnkd.in/eWgw5dcw #CoastalResilience #EcosystemServices #NOAAPartnership #NOAA

How I wish the powers that be within the work of Ecological Restoration, Reforestation, Greening Initiatives and all the work being done by locally owned organisations and local communities on the ground, could understand that any disturbance in funding and support mechanisms directly impacts the livelihoods of the people on the ground. There is often a disconnect between the realities on the ground and the offices where resources come from. Local municipalities and national governments' support is always filled with red tape and long processes. This system is not built for this kind of work, which is often misunderstood. We don't even know where we fit in for funding. Local funds are not supporting these projects due to financial constraints and complex processes. If you're reading this, think about the locally owned organisations and enterprises that depend on these resources. With steady long-term support, we can have very successful projects. The work we do is crucial, and with the right support, we can achieve great things for our communities and environment. #EcologicalRestoration #Reforestation #GreeningInitiatives #LocalCommunities #SustainableFunding #EnvironmentalSupport #CommunityProjects #GreenEconomy #LocalOrganisations #EcologicalImpact #EnvironmentalJustice #SupportLocal #SustainableFuture

🌳 💰 Is the private financing of #rewilding a threat to community empowerment? Enjoyed writing for Community Land Scotland on the risks for #NatureRecovery delivering truly integrated and #transformative social, ecological, and climate benefits. ✨ Blog post: https://lnkd.in/eEx2Bvxz As the urgency to tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis grows, private financing is increasingly sought after to support nature recovery projects like rewilding. In Scotland, the government aims to address the £20.4 billion “nature-finance gap” by publishing its Natural Capital Markets Framework, offering guidance and regulatory interventions to develop responsible private investment in natural capital. However, while private financing is essential for upscaling nature recovery efforts, it also raises valid concerns. The over-emphasis on financial returns risks undermining alternative funding models and socio-economic goals, including community empowerment. Prioritising private mechanisms can undermine progress towards delivering community benefits alongside climate and biodiversity objectives, which can (further) marginalise community voices in collective land management and democratic decision-making. I raise some potential issues and risks, and suggest some constructive solutions and ways forwards... 🔎 A longer post, exploring more details, is here: https://lnkd.in/etm2Cm5U

🚩 Explore the #MOVING2020 #PolicyRoadmap: A strategic framework designed to unlock the power of mountain #valuechains and promote #SustainableDevelopment in Europe’s mountain regions. 🎯 With 30 policy recommendations and over 100 Policy Leverage Points, the Roadmap provides practical guidance for policy-makers, public authorities, civil society organisations, and researchers. It addresses key areas like governance, ecological balance, innovation, livelihoods, and more, offering tailored solutions for the unique challenges of mountain areas. 👥 Through a participatory approach involving 1.000 stakeholders across 23 regional case studies, this collaborative effort aims to enhance the #sustainability and #resilience of mountain communities. Discover the MOVING Policy Roadmap and its transformative potential for Europe’s mountain regions: https://lnkd.in/d8WXSUCv