How art is helping finance biodiversity conservation in the Maldives

Photo: Launch of Dhirun - Art for Biodiversity Exhibition at Kandima Maldives

An innovative partnership between artists, the tourism sector and UNDP BIOFIN are creating a new source of funding for nature while supporting local livelihoods.

For many countries, securing long-term finance for biodiversity remains one of the biggest challenges to achieving national conservation goals. While public budgets and donor funding continue to play an important role, closing the biodiversity finance gap will also require new partnerships and innovative ways to mobilize private investment.

In the Maldives, a new initiative is demonstrating how creativity can become part of the solution.

Through the Dhirun: Art for Biodiversity initiative, launched by UNDP Maldives through its Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), Kandima Maldives and the KULA Art Initiative, art is being transformed into a source of finance for biodiversity conservation while supporting local artists and strengthening connections between tourism, culture and nature.

Turning creativity into conservation finance

The initiative brings together 19 Maldivian artists, whose works are exhibited at Kandima Maldives resort. Unlike a traditional art exhibition, however, every sale contributes to a broader conservation objective through an innovative financing model.

Artists receive the full price they set for their artwork, ensuring their creativity is rewarded. Buyers are then invited to make an additional 30 percent voluntary contribution, with all proceeds directed toward biodiversity conservation in Dhaalu Valla, an ecologically important island known for its rich coastal ecosystems, nesting sea turtles and migratory birds.

By waiving its commercial commission, Kandima Maldives enables every additional contribution to directly support conservation efforts.

Rather than relying solely on grants or public funding, the initiative creates a new mechanism through which visitors can actively invest in protecting the natural landscapes they have come to experience.

Photo: Participating artists attend the briefing session ahead of the opening of Dhirun: Art for Biodiversity at Kandima Maldives.

A partnership that benefits both people and nature

Healthy ecosystems are essential to the Maldives' economy, supporting tourism, fisheries and coastal resilience. At the same time, local artists and creative industries play an important role in celebrating and preserving the country's cultural identity.

The initiative demonstrates that biodiversity finance can generate multiple benefits at once. It provides new opportunities for artists, encourages visitors to participate in conservation, strengthens private sector engagement and channels additional resources toward protecting biodiversity.

This integrated approach reflects one of UNDP BIOFIN's core principles: designing finance solutions that create positive outcomes for both people and nature.

Expanding the role of the private sector

Tourism businesses are among the greatest beneficiaries of healthy ecosystems, making them important partners in biodiversity finance.

The Maldives initiative illustrates how the private sector can move beyond traditional corporate social responsibility by embedding biodiversity finance into its business model. Instead of making one-off donations, businesses can create mechanisms that continuously generate resources for conservation while engaging customers in the process.

As the first initiative of its kind under this partnership, Dhirun: Art for Biodiversity is designed to demonstrate a model that can be replicated across the Maldives, encouraging greater collaboration between the tourism industry, the creative sector and conservation partners. By showing how culture and commerce can work together for nature, the initiative offers a practical example of how innovative finance can contribute to achieving national biodiversity goals while creating lasting value for communities.

Photo: Dhirun: Art for Biodiversity

From local innovation to global inspiration

More than 90 countries are currently developing Biodiversity Finance Plans through the BIOFIN methodology, identifying opportunities to mobilize additional resources for nature while supporting sustainable development.

The Art for Biodiversity initiative shows that innovative finance does not always require entirely new institutions or large-scale investments. Sometimes, it begins by connecting sectors that rarely work together, such as conservation, tourism and the creative economy, to generate lasting value.

By transforming art into an investment in nature, the Maldives is demonstrating how innovative partnerships can help build a more sustainable future for both biodiversity and local communities.

Photo: Representatives from UNDP and Kandima Maldives, together with guests and participating artists, gather for a group photo

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