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Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The eco.business Fund
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The eco.business fund is a public-private partnership investment fund which aims to shift incentives in financial institutions (i.e. Banks) towards investing in nature, by embedding social and environmental risk into investment decisions, catalysing transformational change in the financial sector. The fund will increase lending to businesses which incorporate sustainable practices that contribute to biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of natural resources, climate change mitigation and adaptation to its impact across South America: Ecuador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Colombia, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru.
The Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (ISFL) - Bio Carbon Fund
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
A multilateral project administered by the World Bank which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the land use sector through sustainable landscape management, whilst improving the livelihoods of forest communities. The ISFL combines upfront technical assistance with results-based finance which rewards countries which implement landscape-level approaches that reduce emissions from the forest and land-use sector. ISFL works with 5 countries: Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Mexico and Zambia. Defra is supporting programmes in Indonesia and Zambia with upfront finance and potentially all countries with results based finance.
Achieving sustainable forest management through community managed protected areas in Madagascar
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
This project aims to reduce deforestation and forest degradation within Madagascar’s national park network by supporting community and regional authorities to manage and monitor natural resources more effectively. It also seeks to transform the way in which communities use the forest by investing in sustainable farming practices and alternative livelihoods. By demonstrating proof of concept for community-based forest management, this project seeks to help communities to attract new investment and access market-based opportunities that guarantee the long-term financial sustainability of the protected area network. In this way, the project aims to create a successful model that could be replicated across the protected area network.
Global Environment Facility (GEF) 7th Replenishment
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
To support developing countries to implement international agreements on climate change, biodiversity, land degradation and harmful chemicals as integral elements of sustainable development. GEF’s other activities include sustainable forest management, international waters and protecting the ozone layer.
Low Carbon Agriculture for avoided deforestation and poverty reduction - Phase 2
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The programme operates in the Cerrado and Caatinga biomes in Brazil, over the course of four years (2017 - 2024). As a follow-up phase to a similar ICF intervention in Brazil, the programme aims to restore deforested and degraded land on small- and medium-sized farms and will target the barriers experienced by farmers in accessing rural credit.
Supporting the Pest Identification Service for ODA eligible UK Overseas Territories
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
Provision of identification service for invasive invertebrate plant pests for the UKOTs which can impact upon biodiversity and commercial interests and rapid advice when bio-security threats are detected. ODA funding is being used to support the provision of that service in ODA eligible territories.
Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Change Programme
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
Funding from UK government to deliver excellent climate research to provide an improved understanding of past climate and enable better projections to underpin national scientific capability and inform domestic and international policy commitments (e.g. Climate Change Act 2008 and UNFCCC negotiations). Climate models and underpinning science developed using MOHCCP funding are publically available and used as the foundation for many projects that aim to build resilience to a changing climate in developing countries. The models are used for developing systems in developing countries to produce climate projections. For example, the models have been used to analyse drought in the Horn of Africa, climate change impacts in Bangladesh and to build resilience to climate change in the Philippines.
Annual contribution to the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO)
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
This UK Government contribution is for EPPO which is an intergovernmental organization responsible for cooperation in plant health within the Euro-Mediterranean region. Founded in 1951 by 15 European countries, EPPO now has 52 members (shown in green on the map). Its objectives are to protect plants, by developing international strategies against the introduction and spread of pests which are a threat to agriculture, forestry and the environment, and by promoting safe and effective pest control methods. Following the terms of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), EPPO is a Regional Plant Protection Organization and thus participates in global discussions on plant health. EPPO is a standard-setting organization which has produced a large number of Standards in the areas of plant protection products and plant quarantine. These Standards constitute recommendations that are addressed to the National Plant Protection Organizations of EPPO member countries. Finally, EPPO promotes the exchange of information between its member countries by maintaining information services and databases on plant pests, and by organizing many conferences and workshops.
Funding to build capacity and support cross-border action on the conservation of wildlife within countries in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA)
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The funding will be used to support KAZA countries to develop African-led trans-frontier approaches to support conservation of wildlife, including iconic species such as elephants through efforts in integrated land-use planning, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, community livelihoods and illegal wildlife trade. This funding will be used to provide technical assistance and build capacity within the KAZA countries to address areas for immediate action, provide a foundation for future work programmes and support access to wider funding options.
Establishing and enhancing veterinary surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and use in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
This project aims to help establish effective surveillance for longer term capacity building for AMR in the terrestrial and aquatic veterinary sectors in selected LMICs, and to enhance veterinary medicines regulatory training.
Darwin Initiative Round 24
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The Darwin Initiative is a UK government grants scheme that helps to protect biodiversity and the natural environment through locally based projects worldwide. The initiative funds projects that help countries rich in biodiversity but poor in financial resources to meet their objectives under one or more of the biodiversity conventions. The objective is to to address threats to biodiversity such as: - habitat loss or degradation - climate change - invasive species - over-exploitation - pollution and eutrophication
Darwin Initiative Round 25
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The Darwin Initiative is a UK government grants scheme that helps to protect biodiversity and the natural environment through locally based projects worldwide. The initiative funds projects that help countries rich in biodiversity but poor in financial resources to meet their objectives under one or more of the biodiversity conventions. The objective is to to address threats to biodiversity such as: - habitat loss or degradation - climate change - invasive species - over-exploitation - pollution and eutrophication
UK Annual Contributions to the Montreal Protocol Trust Fund, Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund and Vienna Convention Trust Fund
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
This activity supports an annual UK contribution to The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer which is a multilateral environmental agreement with universal ratification. It regulates the production and consumption of ozone depleting substances (ODS). Protection of the ozone layer is vital in preventing increased UV radiation, resulting in higher incidence of skin cancers and eye cataracts, more-compromised immune systems, and negative effects on watersheds, agricultural lands and forests. The Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol was established in 1991. The Fund's objective is to provide financial and technical assistance to developing country parties to the Montreal Protocol whose annual per capita consumption and production of ODS is less than 0.3 kg to comply with the control measures of the Protocol. The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer is a multilateral environmental agreement signed in 1985 that provided frameworks for international reductions in the production of chlorofluorocarbons due to their contribution to the destruction of the ozone layer, resulting in an increased threat of skin cancer.
Annual contribution to the United Nations Environment Trust Fund of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
This activity supports an annual UK contribution to the IPBES. IPBES is a science-policy platform providing comprehensive, credible and legitimate scientific knowledge about Earth’s essential life support systems and their contribution to human well-being; as well as tools and local capacity to help decision makers around the world identify solutions to pressures on ecosystems, sustainable use of natural resources and related poverty. Contributions to the IPBES Trust Fund are used to meet the running costs and support developing country expert engagement in delivering the work programme agreed by member governments at the Plenary meetings.
Funding to support delivery of ODA eligible programming delivered by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew provides an international centre of expertise and benefits to developing countries, including through collections and seed banks, agricultural science including collaboration with the ODA eligible Global Crop Diversity Trust, plant health including diagnosis of plant pests and diseases and biosecurity, capacity building (CBD, CITES, Nagoya Protocol, IPBES), M&E of ICF, advice on climate change resilience.
Supporting Montserrat and St Helena to enhance welfare and development through improved environmental management.
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
This programme is delivered by JNCC and aims to improve environmental management. This includes better management of water resources, fisheries and landscapes and to enhance economic security, welfare and development of local communities dependent on the natural environment for their livelihoods. This includes farmers dependent on scarce water resources and island communities where better fisheries management increases food supply and incomes. Landscape scale management enhances security of food and water supply and reduces vulnerability to natural disasters such as drought or storm associated flooding and coastal hurricane storm surge.
Blue Forests Project
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The Blue Forests Project aims to design a holistic model for replication for community-led mangrove forest restoration and protection. The programme operates in Madagascar and Indonesia, working with local coastal communities to protect and restore mangrove habitat, create new and improve existing sustainable livelihoods, support community health and women’s empowerment and increase climate resilience.
International Climate Finance R&D Programme
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
This International Climate Finance (ICF) funded programme will deliver an integrated package of projects to strengthen global knowledge and understanding of the interrelationship between the climate and biodiversity challenges. It will seek to inform the work of policy developers and development practitioners globally and help narrow the funding gap between current and required investment in natural solutions to climate change. It recognises that the scaling, and effectiveness, of natural solutions to the triple challenge of climate change, poverty and biodiversity loss (hereafter referred to as ‘natural solutions’) requires an investment in the primary evidence base needed to inform effective decisions, and drive innovation in the future. The proposed package of work is designed to meet both short and longer-term evidence needs, including to deliver a UNFCCC and CBD legacy, focusing on ensuring strategic, policy-relevant results and a global network of knowledge exchange and learning. As part of this programme, the UK committed £40m to establish the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC). The GCBC is funded by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) with International Climate Finance, working in partnership with DAI Global as the Management Lead and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew as the Strategic Science Lead. Through a series of research grant calls the GCBC will support GBF Targets 8,11 & 14 by establishing a global network of research institutions and experts to address critical research gaps in how the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity can address climate solutions and improve livelihoods. The GCBC was announced at COP26 with £40m of UK International Development funding. It contributes to the UK Government’s commitment to spend £3bn of its £11.6bn of International Climate Finance on nature and biodiversity over the 5 years to March 2026. The GCBC aims to support developing countries to shape decision-making and develop policies that better value, protect, restore and sustainably manage biodiversity in ways that tackle resilience to climate change and poverty. For more information, please visit www.gcbc.org.uk
UK Blue Carbon Fund
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
The Fund will promote the sustainable management, conservation and restoration of mangrove habitats by developing and embedding operational blue carbon markets across the Caribbean and Latin America that provide local communities with a sustainable income and assist in moving low-income countries towards low-emission, climate-resilient development.
Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund Round 5
Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs
Illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is the fifth most lucrative transnational crime, worth up to £17bn a year globally. As well as threatening species with extinction, IWT destroys vital ecosystems. IWT also fosters corruption, feeds insecurity, and undermines good governance and the rule of law. The UK government is committed to tackling illegal trade of wildlife products. Defra manages the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, which is a competitive grants scheme with the objective of tackling illegal wildlife trade and, in doing so, contributing to sustainable development in developing countries. Projects funded under the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund address one, or more, of the following themes: • Developing sustainable livelihoods to benefit people directly affected by IWT • Strengthening law enforcement • Ensuring effective legal frameworks • Reducing demand for IWT products Over £23 million has been committed to 75 projects since the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund was established in 2013; five projects were awarded in 2014 (via applications to the Darwin Initiative), fourteen in 2015, fifteen in 2016, thirteen in 2017, fourteen in 2018 and in the latest round in 2019. This round of funding includes the following projects (details of which can be found at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/811381/iwt-project-list-2019.pdf)): IWT062, IWT063, IWT064, IWT065, IWT066, IWT067, IWT068, IWT069, IWT070, IWT071, IWT072, IWT073, IWT074, IWT075.
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