Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN II)

The financing of biodiversity conservation is a key issue in the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Most countries lack reliable information on the actual costs that are needed to effectively implement their biodiversity strategies, nor do they know where the necessary funds can be sourced and how they can be used to implement their strategies. The BIOFIN initiative, meanwhile active in over 45 countries, is a global partnership that supports its partner countries by addressing these knowledge gaps. Financing solutions are being developed and implemented in a second step. BIOFIN II (extended) focuses on the implementation of biodiversity finance plans, protected area finance, development of innovative finance Solutions and knowledge sharing.

Project data

Countries: Argentina, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji, Gabon, Georgia, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Zambia
IKI funding: 51,500,000.00 €
Duration: 01/2018 till 12/2030
Status: open
Political Partner: Diverse biodiversity relevant institutions in the respective partner countries/Diverse biodiversitätsrelevante Institutionen in den entsprechenden Partnerländern
Online: https://fire.biofin.org/

https://www.biofin.org/

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State of implementation/results

US$3.3 billion unlocked for biodiversity finance: UNDP BIOFIN has supported partner countries to mobilise, catalyse, and align US$3.3 billion in biodiversity-relevant finance. These results reflect public and private finance mobilised through policy reforms, fiscal instruments, sustainable finance mechanisms and biodiversity finance solutions implemented by national governments.
Embedding biodiversity in national budgets: Countries supported by UNDP BIOFIN have formally tracked almost US$2 billion in biodiversity-related public expenditure through biodiversity expenditure tagging systems and results-based budgeting frameworks. This integration of biodiversity into national fiscal systems strengthens long-term financing for conservation and sustainable use.
Policy reforms enabling biodiversity finance: Countries reported 89 validated policy results, including new laws, fiscal measures, and financial sector regulations that create enabling conditions for biodiversity finance. These reforms include biodiversity expenditure tagging, sustainable finance frameworks, protected area financing reforms, and biodiversity-related lending and insurance instruments.
Regional dialogues strengthening global communities of practice: UNDP BIOFIN convened regional dialogues in Mexico and Viet Nam, bringing together governments, financial institutions and development partners. These dialogues represent the largest global and regional communities of practice on biodiversity finance, enabling countries to exchange practical solutions such as ecological fiscal transfers, green bonds and biodiversity credits, while accelerating implementation of Biodiversity Finance Plans.
Innovative finance solutions implemented: Countries are implementing diverse biodiversity finance mechanisms including ecological fiscal transfers, sustainable tourism revenue systems, biodiversity offsets, green bonds and insurance schemes addressing human-wildlife conflict. These instruments help translate national biodiversity strategies into concrete financial flows supporting conservation.
Country-Level biodiversity finance solutions: Several countries achieved significant biodiversity finance results. In Indonesia, biodiversity expenditure tracking across government ministries identified almost US$2 billion in biodiversity-related public spending. In the Philippines, biodiversity finance solutions mobilised approximately US$315 million across public and private investments supporting ecosystem protection, resilience and sustainable tourism. In Colombia, reforms linked to the national Fund for Life and Biodiversity helped unlocked US$553 million to address the biodiversity finance gap. In Malaysia, ecological fiscal transfers have strengthened incentives for states to conserve forests and biodiversity.
Global knowledge platforms supporting biodiversity finance: The UNDP BIOFIN website recorded more than 368,000 views in 2025, representing a 50% increase compared to 2024, while the number of users grew by 70% year-on-year to 136,000 users, reflecting growing global interest in biodiversity finance solutions. The Global Biodiversity Expenditure Taxonomy (GLOBE) helps governments classify and track biodiversity expenditures and is now being applied or piloted in more than 20 countries, strengthening transparency and alignment of public budgets with biodiversity priorities. The Finance Resource Database for Biodiversity (FIRE) continues to expand as a global catalogue of biodiversity funding opportunities, listing over 400 financing sources to support governments and organisations in identifying biodiversity finance opportunities.
Growing global cooperation on biodiversity finance: Through the GEF-funded Biodiversity Finance Programme, UNDP BIOFIN is now supporting more than 130 countries to design or implement biodiversity finance plans, strengthening international collaboration to close the global biodiversity finance gap.

Latest Update:
05/2026