UN Biodiversity Conference COP15 Germany and Norway announce support for Legacy Landscapes Fund

Press release 16 December 2022 | At the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth from the German Development Ministry has announced that Germany will provide an additional 30 million euros for the Legacy Landscapes Fund (LLF) – pending parliamentary approval. The aim of the LLF is to provide everlasting funding for the long-term protection of the world's most biodiverse protected areas. This is done by combining public and private investment and relying on a development approach that engages local communities. Besides Germany, further international partners are on board: Following France, Norway too has now become a donor to the Fund.

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State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth said, “The Legacy Landscapes Fund is growing and becoming more international. This is an important signal to COP15, because the Fund is mobilising urgently needed money. This is about everlasting funding for the world's most biodiverse protected areas. Protecting the diversity of species and ecosystems is a task for all of humanity, and this requires adequate levels of international financing. In the Legacy Landscapes Fund, we work together with nature conservation organisations, government authorities and local communities, and we use high human rights and environmental standards. This benefits nature and the global climate, but also local communities.”

The Legacy Landscapes Fund was launched in 2020 and is an independent foundation. The Fund plans to build a capital stock of about one billion US dollars by 2030. This funding is intended to provide a long-term financial basis for top biodiversity hotspots in the Global South, facilitating predictability. The Fund is already providing core funding of one million euros per year for seven protected areas – such as Madidi National Park in Bolivia, Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe and Gunung Leuser National Park in Indonesia –, offering much-needed predictability for a minimum period of 15 years. At present, the Fund is already providing lasting funding for ecosystems covering more than 73,000 square kilometres, an area larger than the Republic of Ireland. The inclusion of further areas is planned for 2023. A call for proposals is currently under way.

So far, contributors to the Fund have included Germany, France, international nature conservation organisations, private foundations, and enterprises. They have now been joined by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), which is contributing 10 million euros. Further supporters are welcome to join the initiative, facilitating the inclusion of further areas. So far, the BMZ has provided over 180 million euros for the Fund. It is now planning to make available another 30 million euros. This amount has been made part of the 2023 budget planning exercise. Its allocation is still subject to final approval of the funds as part of budgetary and parliamentary procedures.