The socioeconomic benefits of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in the Tropical Andes, especially in Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru, make their conservation a fundamental objective. Yet, the financial resources national and subnational governments allocate to KBAs are insufficient to even meet minimum management costs. Nature-based tourism has acted as an alternative financing mechanism, accounting for more than 50% of revenue generated by KBAs, nature reserves, and protected areas in the region. However, the recent COVID-19 pandemic caused sharp declines in tourism revenue, jeapordizing the conservation and proper management of these areas. There is a need for new, innovative financing alternatives that can diversify KBAs income sources.
To achieve this, it is essential to strengthen and create new capacities for financial sustainability in civil society organizations (CSOs) whose scope of intervention intersects with the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund’s (CEPF) Key Biodiversity Areas of focus in Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru. Conservation Strategy Fund is developing a 20 week virtual training course on financial sustainability to target these CSOs, with a maximum of 53 participants selected by CSF and CEPF.
The goal of this course is to improve participants’ understanding of financial planning and management, help them utilize financial analysis tools, identify between 5 and 8 new financing mechanisms for CSOs, and explore new opportunities for collaboration between their organizations. Capacity building of CEPF's CSO partners in these three countries can help reduce dependence on external funding and improve KBA management in the medium and long term.
This project is generously funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).
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