Coastal and marine ecosystem management and governance institutions face a wide array of choices when it comes to conservation finance mechanisms. The following tool presents a systematic method for brainstorming, defining, and prioritizing suitable finance solutions. This approach is rooted in the definition of conservation finance as "mechanisms and strategies that generate, manage, and deploy financial resources and align incentives to achieve nature conservation outcomes." In most cases, supplementary funding for nature, especially consistent and adequate funding, is a critical but insufficient component of a project's conservation finance portfolio. This approach seeks to take the practitioner through a range of perspectives to generate ideas on how to solve their conservation challenges and respond to opportunities.

Conservation Finance Alliance, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, and its Sustainable Finance Specialist Group are proud to announce the launch of the 'Practice Guidance for Protected and Conserved Area Finance’ - a new addition to the WCPA Good Practice Series and essential reading for achieving 30x30!

This document provides detailed frameworks, descriptions and insights into the use of conservation finance solutions to achieve protected and conserved area (PCA) outcomes. The guidance presents the case for PCA investment and sustainable finance, describes the role and use of finance and economics to achieve PCA outcomes, and presents guidance on how to conduct strategic and practical financial planning in support of these outcomes.

The Protected Area Finance Working Group has been converted to IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas’ Sustainable Finance Specialist Group. The IUCN WCPA Sustainable Finance Specialist Group identifies, shares, and pioneers finance solutions for protected and conserved areas in an integrated manner across conservation land and seascapes.