GEF’s Experience in
Financing the
Conservation of Tigers
Yoko Watanabe
Program Manager,
GEF Secretariat
Overview of the Presentation
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Introduction
GEF’s Partnership with
the Global Tiger Initiative
GEF’s Experience in
Financing Tiger
Conservation
GEF’s Future Investment
Strategy
GEF’s Project Financing
Modalities
What is the GEF?
A financial mechanism
established to protect the global
environment and promote
sustainable development.
GEF supports developing
countries and economies in
transition on incremental cost of
actions to protect the global
environment.
Financial mechanism for the CBD,
UNFCCC, UNCCD, and POPs.
GEF’s Six Focal Areas:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Int’l
Waters, Ozone depletion, Land
degradation, and POPs.
Biodiversity:
GEF Investment and Achievements

GEF Investment of $2.3 billion, with $5.4 billion cofinance,
to support 790 projects in more than 155 countries to
conserve and sustainably use of biodiversity

Improved management of 2,302 protected areas, covering
634 million hectares, helped achieve global target of 10%
of the world’s land under protection

Enabling productive landscapes and seascapes to
become biodiversity-friendly, covering over 160 million
hectares

Pioneer investor in testing and scaling-up of conservation
trust funds and payments for ecosystem services

Supported the development of National Biosafety
Frameworks in 123 countries and their implementation
GEF Partnership with
the Global Tiger Initiative
 Founding and major partner of the GTI.
 Financing two Medium Size Projects
through the World Bank, with total GEF
grant of $1.5 million.
 To support work on:
 Organization of the Global Tiger
Summit in Sept 2010.
 Development of financial
architecture for tiger conservation.
 Strengthen regional capacity on
wildlife trade.
GEF Funding for Tiger Habitat

GEF is arguably the largest funder
on tiger and its habitats
conservation.
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Total of 19 projects in all TRCs,
implemented by the World Bank
and UNDP, with total funding of
$96.7 million

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership
Fund (CEPF), a partnership
initiative of GEF, WB, CI and others,
also provided several grants on
tiger.
GEF Project Example:
Cambodia Virachey National Park Management
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Finance: GEF $2.75m,
Cofinance $2.25m
Basic Info: 2000, World Bank,
Govt, 3325km2, largest PA
Objective: Minimize illegal
exploitation and degradation of
biodiversity
Outcomes: 1) Strengthened park
mgmt, 2) Trained staff, 3)
Livelihood options developed,
etc.
GEF Project Example:
Nepal Landscape Conservation around Chitwan
Finance: GEF $ 0.75m, Cofinance
0.9m
 Basic Info: 2001, UNDP,
KMTNC/NTNC, Nepal’s key tiger
habitat
 Objective: Manage Barandabhar
corridor to conserve viable
populations of flagship species
(tiger and rhino) and their habitat.
 Outcomes: 1) strengthened mgmt of
corridor forest and grassland; 2)
developed community-based
conservation model: income
generation activities, etc.
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GEF Project Example:
Russia PA Network in Khabarovsk Kray
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Finance: GEF $0.75m, Cofinance
$1m
Basic Info: 2001, WB, Wildlife
Foundation, 4000km2, largest
tiger PA (Sikhote-Alin)
Objective: Establish integrated
protected areas system.
Outcomes: 1) Established new
PA; 2) Strengthened PA network;
3) Increase public awareness, etc
Future Financing:
GEF-5 Biodiversity Program:
Strategic Objectives
Objectives
1.
Improve Sustainability of
Protected Area Systems
2.
Mainstreaming Biodiversity in
Production Landscapes/
Seascapes and Sectors
3.
Build capacity to implement the
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
4.
Capacity Building on Access and
Benefit Sharing
GEF’s Grant Schemes
FY2007-2010
Biodiversity: $1.2 billion
Land Degradation: $400 million
Sustainable Forest Management: $250 million
Grant sizes:
 Full-size project (above $1 million)
 Medium-size project (below $1 million)
 Small Grants Program (max $50000)
Grant modalities:
 Country level Projects
(utilizing country STAR allocation)
 Programmatic Approach
(Umbrella platform facility, along with country level
sub-projects)
 Incentive scheme through the Sustainable Forest
Management Program.
GEF’s System of Transparent
Allocation of Resources
(STAR) Biodiversity
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Bangladesh ($1.88m)
Bhutan ($1.96m)
Cambodia ($3.85m)
China ($52.67m)
India ($30.58m)
Indonesia ($54.17m)
Lao PDR ($6.11m)
Malaysia ($14.66m)
Myanmar ($6.72m)
Nepal ($2.67m)
Russian Federation
($24.37m)
 Thailand ($9.05m)
 Vietnam ($12.12m)
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New Funding for the Tiger

Despite close to $100 million invested
by GEF, tiger populations continue to
decline

New initiative needs to look in to new
and innovative approach learning
lessons from the past.
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Target key habitats more strategically
and in an integrated manner.
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High level commitment and
engagements.
GEF is looking forward to a productive partnership