Côte d’Ivoire takes steps towards a national framework for biodiversity credits

Côte d’Ivoire is laying the institutional and regulatory foundations to explore biodiversity credits as a potential new source of finance for the conservation and restoration of nature.

The Government of Côte d’Ivoire is advancing work towards a national framework for biodiversity credits, as the country explores new approaches to mobilizing finance for biodiversity.

On 11 August 2026, the Ministry of Environment and Ecological Transition, through the Directorate-General for Environment, convened stakeholders in Abidjan to discuss and validate a roadmap and proposed institutional structure to guide the development of biodiversity credits in the country.

The meeting brought together representatives from government, technical and financial partners, the private sector, civil society and research institutions. With support from UNDP, including through the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), alongside GIZ and the World University Service of Canada (WUSC), participants examined the institutional and operational foundations needed for a future legal and regulatory framework.

Building the foundations before mobilizing finance

Côte d’Ivoire is still at an early stage in exploring biodiversity credits. The immediate priority is therefore not the creation of a market, but putting in place the governance, rules and institutional arrangements needed for a credible mechanism.

Participants agreed on a roadmap covering 2026–2028 and proposed a light institutional structure comprising two entities: a supervision committee and a technical secretariat. These structures would help guide implementation of the roadmap and development of the legal framework for biodiversity credits.

A future framework is expected to address key issues including the measurement and verification of conservation and restoration results, transparency, environmental and social integrity, equitable benefit-sharing and the rights and interests of local communities.

A robust Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system will also be important to ensure that biodiversity outcomes can be supported by reliable data.

The initiative comes as Côte d’Ivoire seeks additional resources to address pressures on its ecosystems, including agricultural expansion, urbanization, mining activities and climate change.

Biodiversity credits as a potential finance solution

Through BIOFIN, UNDP supports countries in identifying, developing and implementing finance solutions that can help close biodiversity finance gaps.

In Côte d’Ivoire, biodiversity credits are being considered as a potential finance solution within the country’s National Biodiversity Finance Plan. UNDP is providing technical and financial support to the Government as it develops the enabling legal and institutional framework, working alongside partners including GIZ and WUSC.

The process is also drawing on collaboration with the Biodiversity Credit Alliance to strengthen knowledge and stakeholder engagement around the emerging mechanism.

Rather than treating biodiversity credits simply as a new financial product, the work underway emphasizes the importance of building a mechanism that can deliver measurable benefits for biodiversity while maintaining environmental and social integrity.

What comes next?

Several steps are planned as Côte d’Ivoire moves forward.

A webinar with the Biodiversity Credit Alliance is expected to bring together interested stakeholders and public institutions to strengthen understanding of biodiversity credits. Further work with the scientific committee established by the Ministry of Environment and Ecological Transition will support development of the legal and institutional framework.

The country also plans to undertake a biodiversity credit readiness study, subject to the mobilization of the necessary funding.

Together, these steps will help Côte d’Ivoire assess how biodiversity credits could contribute to the country's broader biodiversity finance landscape and what safeguards, institutions and technical systems would be required for their effective implementation.

As countries explore new ways to mobilize resources for nature, Côte d’Ivoire’s emerging experience illustrates an important principle: innovative biodiversity finance needs strong governance, credible measurement and appropriate safeguards from the outset.