NEWS
Financing Nature for a Greener Future: The Gambia Launches BIOFIN Initiative
The Gambia is charting a new course toward a nature-positive future through the launch of the Global Environment Facility (GEF)…
The Gambia
The Gambia is home to diverse forests, wetlands, mangroves and coastal and marine ecosystems that provide essential services for people and the economy. These natural assets support agriculture, fisheries, tourism and other livelihoods while contributing to food security, coastal protection and climate resilience. However, biodiversity is increasingly under pressure from land degradation, climate change, unsustainable resource use and growing demands on natural resources.
Mobilizing sufficient and sustainable finance for biodiversity remains a challenge. Strengthening the way existing resources are planned, tracked and used, while identifying opportunities to mobilize additional public, private and international finance, will be important for achieving The Gambia’s national biodiversity priorities.
UNDP BIOFIN is supporting the Government of The Gambia, working with the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, to develop a more strategic and evidence-based approach to biodiversity finance. Through the Policy and Institutional Review, Biodiversity Expenditure Review and Financial Needs Assessment, the initiative will examine the country’s biodiversity finance landscape, track existing expenditure and assess the resources required to achieve national biodiversity targets.
The findings will inform The Gambia’s first Biodiversity Finance Plan, which will identify and prioritize practical finance solutions to improve the effectiveness of existing resources and mobilize additional investment for nature. The process will support implementation of the country’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and its commitments under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Finance solutions
Develop and implement a Carbon Purchase Agreement (CPA) framework to mobilize carbon finance for ecosystem restoration and conservation in The Gambia. The mechanism is intended to generate financing from verified carbon outcomes while supporting the protection and restoration of priority ecosystems, particularly mangrove forests, savannah woodlands and community-managed forests.
The approach could provide a longer-term source of finance for conservation while creating incentives for communities and other stakeholders to maintain and restore ecosystems that store carbon and provide important biodiversity and livelihood benefits.
Stage: Implementation
Lead agency: Department of Parks and Wildlife Management (DPWM)
Partners: Sahel Wetlands Concern, West African Bird Study Association and Kombo Foni Forest Association
Key results
Although implementation is in its early stages, BIOFIN The Gambia has achieved several important milestones:
- Successfully launched the UNDP BIOFIN project and conducted a national technical training workshop from 8–10 April 2026, strengthening stakeholders’ understanding of the BIOFIN methodology and implementation process.
- Established the Project Steering Committee to provide strategic oversight and guidance.
- Completed procurement of consultants to undertake the Policy and Institutional Review (PIR), Biodiversity Expenditure Review (BER), and Financial Needs Assessment (FNA).
- Strengthened collaboration among government institutions, development partners, civil society organizations, and technical experts to support biodiversity finance planning.
Increased national awareness of biodiversity finance and reinforced institutional capacity to support implementation of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP).