Ukraine

BIOFIN was launched in Ukraine in 2026 and is implemented by UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Economy, and Environment, with financial support from the Government of Germany. The programme supports Ukraine in mobilizing finance for biodiversity conservation while contributing to the country's green recovery and European Union integration.

Ukraine covers only 6% of Europe's territory but is home to approximately 35% of its biodiversity, including more than 70,000 species and a wide range of forests, wetlands, steppes, freshwater, marine and mountain ecosystems.

However, biodiversity faces growing pressures. The ongoing war has damaged more than 30% of Ukraine's protected areas, while wartime expenditures and reconstruction needs have significantly reduced the public resources available for nature conservation. Although public budgets remain the primary source of biodiversity finance, current funding is insufficient, biodiversity expenditures are not systematically tracked, and private sector investment remains limited.

At the same time, Ukraine has strengthened its policy framework by adopting the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy until 2035 and its 2026-2028 Operational Action Plan, aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which recognizes biodiversity finance as a national priority.

BIOFIN helps Ukraine transform the way biodiversity is financed. Using the globally recognized BIOFIN methodology, the programme is conducting a Policy and Institutional Review, Biodiversity Expenditure Review and Financial Needs Assessment to develop Ukraine's first Biodiversity Finance Plan.

At the same time, BIOFIN is already designing and implementing practical finance solutions. The first solution focuses on strengthening the financial sustainability of protected areas through modernized revenue generation, improved business planning, investment readiness, and mechanisms that enable protected areas to retain and reinvest their revenues. Future finance solutions will mobilize additional public and private investment for biodiversity conservation and restoration.

By combining analytical work with early implementation, BIOFIN delivers practical financial solutions. The programme will help close Ukraine's biodiversity finance gap, strengthen the financial resilience of protected areas, support implementation of the National Biodiversity Strategy, and demonstrate how investing in nature can contribute to Ukraine's sustainable recovery, and European integration.

35%

of Europe’s biodiversity is found in Ukraine

Despite Ukraine covering only around 6% of Europe’s territory.

3

national parks to pilot a new protected-area finance approach

Testing improved revenue generation, business planning and investment readiness before potential wider scaling.

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NEWS

Ukraine joins UNDP’s global Biodiversity Finance Initiative, BIOFIN

With support from the Government of Germany, the new programme will strengthen Ukraine’s green recovery and EU integration efforts. Kyiv,…

Finance solutions

BIOFIN Ukraine is currently designing its first early implementation finance solution, "Updating Fees and Establishing Diversified Revenue Streams for Protected Areas." Developed in partnership with the Ministry of Economy, and Environment of Ukraine, the solution addresses one of the country's most pressing biodiversity finance challenges: the financial sustainability of protected areas.

It will modernize the regulatory framework for fee-based services, introduce transparent pricing methodologies, strengthen business planning, and diversify revenue sources through nature-based tourism, ecosystem services and partnerships. Three pilot national parks will test the approach before it is scaled up nationally. The solution will also strengthen the capacity of protected areas to attract investment and grant financing while enabling them to retain and reinvest revenues into conservation through the existing Park Prosperity Funds mechanism. By combining policy reform with practical implementation, BIOFIN will help transform Ukraine's protected areas into financially resilient institutions, mobilize additional public and private finance for biodiversity, and support the country's green recovery and European Union accession.

Key results

The first half of 2026 marked the successful launch of the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) in Ukraine and established the institutional, technical, and political foundations necessary for implementing the BIOFIN methodology.

Despite the exceptionally challenging operating environment created by the ongoing full-scale war, the programme achieved all major inception milestones and positioned biodiversity finance as an integral component of Ukraine's green recovery agenda.

Key documents