IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025

IUCN World Conservation Congress: Advancing Durable Finance for Nature

Key Outcomes and the Path Forward to Delivering the 2030 Goals

October 16, 2025: Held once every four years, the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi marked a pivotal milestone for durable conservation finance, as global leaders convened to demonstrate how partnership, innovation, and trust are enabling lasting protection for our planet’s natural heritage. The Congress adopted more than 148 motions for nature and inclusive sustainable development, launched a bold 20-year strategy for biodiversity protection, and hosted the first World Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nature.

Leading the Way: Conservation Trust Funds and Project Finance for Permanence

During the Congress, sessions underscored the crucial role of Conservation Trust Funds (CTFs) in mobilizing domestic resources and securing long-term finance for protected areas. As trusted, independent anchors, CTFs foster collaboration among governments, communities, and the private sector, turning policy into tangible action. Their role is vital for unlocking ambitious conservation finance and maintaining progress beyond election cycles.

The Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) model emerged as a standout, results-driven approach for large-scale conservation. By convening local communities, Indigenous peoples, governments, and both public and private funders, PFPs create integrated pathways for enduring stewardship and scalable impact across landscapes.

Unifying Action – Policy Coherence and Transparent Governance

A central message from the Congress was the importance of policy coherence and transparency. Aligning ministries and mainstreaming biodiversity finance across sectors ensures that all investments, public and private, truly benefit nature. The theme was clear: durable progress is achieved through ongoing action, not just by setting targets. At Enduring Earth, we support these collaborations, fostering local leadership through new PFPs, CTFs, and community-driven conservation initiatives.

7 Core Themes and Messages from the Congress:

1. Domestic Resource Mobilization and Whole-of-Government Action

• There was major emphasis on Target 19 and the need for countries to strengthen domestic finance systems for biodiversity.
• Speakers underscored policy coherence, aligning ministries of environment, finance, and planning to avoid counterproductive policies.
• Recurrent call for governments to allocate funding systematically, moving toward the proposed 0.5% of GDP for nature.

2. Conservation Trust Funds as Anchors for Sustainability

• Speakers reinforced CTFs are independent yet trusted mechanisms that ensure transparency and durability.
• They provide the institutional core for sustainable finance, integrating local expertise and maintaining momentum beyond political cycles.
• CTFs connect global funds (like the Global Environment Facility) with local systems and national budgets, building long-term trust and impact.

3. Project Finance for Permanence as a Scalable Solution

• Speakers shared how PFPs deliver durable conservation at the national scale, enabling integrated, multi-sector conservation plans.
• Success depends on partnerships, bringing governments, communities, and private sector actors together.
• PFPs foster results-based budgeting and unlock larger, blended sources of finance for protected area systems.

4. Partnerships, Trust, and Human Connections

• Collaboration was described as both technical and relational, requiring deep, long-term partnerships among practitioners and stakeholders.
• There is a growing recognition of the need to ‘humanize investments’, linking finance to livelihoods, peace building, and community-led development.
• Building and nurturing trust-based relationships is seen as essential for durable conservation outcomes.

5. Policy Coherence and Governance 

• Participants emphasized the importance of breaking institutional silos and moving toward broader governance.
• Biodiversity must be mainstreamed across public and private finance systems.
• Financial transparency is not just administrative, it is a tool for accountability and collective progress

6. Learning Across Scales and Sectors

• Strong focus on learning from each other’s models, PFP experiences, and country approaches.
• A shared belief that durable conservation needs knowledge exchange between local, national, and global actors.
• The “family of conservation trust funds” is a collaborative network, not isolated efforts.

7. Shared Vision for Durable Conservation Finance

• Participants consistently returned to the call for a common conservation vision achieved through collective stewardship.
• Enduring Earth and other partners highlighted the ability of PFPs and CTFs to translate vision into tangible, lasting impact on the ground

A heartfelt thank you to all partners and collaborators who shared their insights and energy during the Congress. Your leadership continues to drive transformative progress for people and nature.