The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group will push for increased support for African countries to meet their biodiversity commitments and attract investment in conservation at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia.
The conference, scheduled for October 19–30, will host the first global review of progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022. Governments and other participants are expected to assess progress towards global biodiversity targets and identify priorities for mobilising finance and strengthening implementation support for developing countries.
Held under the theme “Taking Action for Nature,” COP17 will bring together governments, development institutions, scientists, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, civil society organisations, youth representatives and private sector leaders.
The AfDB said it would use its participation to advocate stronger support for African countries implementing biodiversity commitments, while promoting investments that deliver environmental and development benefits.
The bank’s agenda will focus on nature-based solutions, ecosystem restoration, natural capital accounting and innovative financing mechanisms to help African countries implement their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans.
Anthony Nyong, the AfDB’s director of climate and green growth, will lead the bank’s delegation. Its engagements will include Finance Day discussions, ministerial sessions, meetings with multilateral development banks and consultations with African governments, the African Group of Negotiators and development partners.
Park bonds for conservation
One of the bank’s planned side events will examine Park Bonds, a financing instrument intended to attract capital-market investment for biodiversity conservation and protected areas in West Africa.
Organised by the AfDB, the Fondation pour les Parcs et Réserves de Côte d’Ivoire (FPRCI) and Côte d’Ivoire’s Conservation Trust Fund, the session will explore how park bonds could help narrow the biodiversity financing gap by directing institutional investment towards long-term conservation.
The initiative is intended to complement existing conservation finance mechanisms, drawing on the use of instruments such as green bonds to mobilise investment at scale.
The event will feature conservation trust funds from across the region, including FPRCI in Côte d’Ivoire, BACoMaB in Mauritania, Fondation Bioguinée in Guinea-Bissau and the Fondation des Savanes Ouest Africaines in Benin.
Benjamin Landreau, director of Green Eco-Land and originator of the park bonds concept, will also contribute to discussions on structuring the initiative.
Participants will examine the feasibility of an initial issuance, the potential role of guarantees from highly rated institutions, and the ability of conservation trust funds to manage proceeds transparently. They will also consider how the bonds could capitalise endowment funds and support conservation activities in protected areas.
Mobilising investment for nature
Another focus of the AfDB’s COP17 programme will be how to translate the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework into investments across Africa.
The bank plans to showcase its emerging biodiversity and nature finance initiatives, including efforts to track nature-related finance, incorporate natural capital into development financing and integrate biodiversity and nature-based solutions into climate-resilient infrastructure and country programmes.
These initiatives include the Mainstreaming Natural Capital in Africa’s Development Finance Project (NC4-ADF II), alongside knowledge products under development on bio-credits, the Adaptation Benefit Mechanism and Digital Sequence Innovation. The bank will also highlight the Climate Action Window.
Its broader programme covers nature-based solutions, ecological restoration, biodiversity funds and potential investments in protected areas, sustainable landscapes, the blue economy and community resilience across the Sahel, Congo Basin and Horn of Africa.
The bank will also highlight technical assistance, policy dialogue and partnerships supporting African countries to align biodiversity, climate and development priorities. These include the Africa Natural Capital Accounting Community of Practice.
The AfDB said its engagements would demonstrate how it intends to mobilise public and private capital, strengthen institutional capacity and expand nature-positive development across its regional member countries.
The programme is aligned with Target 19 of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which calls for increased financial resources for implementing biodiversity strategies and action plans.
The challenge for African countries will be to turn commitments into investments that protect ecosystems, restore degraded landscapes and sustain livelihoods while supporting long-term economic growth.
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