Bedari Collective steps up for nature

Local communities and governments are champions of conservation. They create protected areas, build sustainable nature-based businesses, restore damaged natural areas, and work as park rangers to keep people and wildlife safe.

Unfortunately, conservation budgets are often the first to go during times of financial difficulty. That is why WWF and our partners are working with governments and communities to deliver enduring protections through Project Finance for Permanence (PFP).

The coalition of partners now includes Bedari Collective, which has committed $25 million to support WWF’s work on long-term sustainable finance through PFP initiatives and Enduring Earth, a bold collaboration working with all stewards of the environment to protect one billion hectares of lands, ocean, and freshwater by 2030.

“Bedari Collective is committed to developing regenerative infrastructure that strengthens community growth and, at the same time, protects critical ecosystems and supports essential biodiversity.  We deploy knowledge, networks and capital into long-term infrastructure and conservation solutions that are community-led, and PFPs apply that approach at scale,” said Matt Harris, Founder of Bedari Collective and a Co-Founder of Global Infrastructure Partners. “We are proud to partner with World Wildlife Fund and Enduring Earth to bring this innovative model to new markets across the globe and advance their work with Indigenous and local communities to achieve durable conservation outcomes.”

PFP initiatives secure the policy changes and funding necessary for conservation success and bind them together in a single agreement. This looks different for each initiative. Namibia for Life, for example, supports communal conservancies so they can sustain and build on decades of success revitalizing iconic wildlife populations by strengthening their self-governing capacities. Herencia Colombia, by contrast, supports 101 protected areas and seven connective corridors across Colombia, from the peaks of the Andes to the depths of the Amazon to the expanse of the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

"Durable conservation takes funding that lasts, policies that hold, and communities in the lead," said WWF-US President and CEO Carter Roberts. "That's what the Project Finance for Permanence model delivers. Bedari Collective is backing this work at the start, when upfront capital is hardest to find and most consequential. Building on their support, we look forward to mobilizing $2 billion in public and private capital and $2 billion in government commitments to deliver needed resources to frontline communities and support the global 30x30 commitment."

PFP has proven to be one of the most powerful tools to help nations secure sustainable finance for conservation and sustainable community development.

Since its launch in December 2020, Enduring Earth has worked with local leaders from governments, Indigenous peoples, communities, partners, and funders across 9 PFP initiatives in Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Gabon, Mexico, Mongolia, and Namibia, with 9 additional projects underway. These efforts have secured the durable conservation of 245 million hectares – an area larger than Indonesia – and strengthened community livelihoods through inclusive stewardship and sustainable economic development.

By pairing long-term financing with local leadership, PFP ensures that the natural places that wildlife and people depend on remain vibrant and resilient for generations to come. With the support of partners like Bedari, WWF and Enduring Earth can secure long-term conservation that benefits people and nature in some of the world’s most important and iconic natural places.