Publications

This final report provides a summary of the contributions made by the United States Agency for International Development-funded Targeting Natural Resource Corruption (TNRC) project. The project worked from 2018 – 2024 and focused on improving biodiversity outcomes by equipping conservation and natural resource management practitioners to assess and address the threats posed by corruption to wildlife, fisheries, and forests. This objective was achieved through three strategic approaches: 1) harnessing existing knowledge and generating new evidence about the impact of corruption and effective programming responses; 2) communicating and networking to disseminate that information and demonstrate practical application, building experience, and generating new learning opportunities; and 3) supporting practical application through pilot projects in six countries and select initiatives to broaden practitioner experience. Additionally, the project worked on institutionalizing anti-corruption within partner organizations to leave a legacy of concrete change.

The project was led by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and implemented by a consortium of leading conservation and anti-corruption organizations, including TRAFFIC; the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre at the Chr. Michelson Institute (U4); the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) at George Mason University; and in collaboration with the Basel Institute on Governance.

This WWF paper proposes principles for how benefits of nature-based solutions (NbS) can be shared in a way that is fair, accountable, rights-based, and effective. NbS harness the power of nature to boost natural ecosystems, biodiversity, and human well-being to address major societal issues, including climate change. Around $133 billion currently flows to NbS, with calls to triple that amount by 2030 and quadruple it by 2050 to meet the magnitude of the threats facing humanity. Encouragingly, interest and investment in NbS are growing, especially from the private sector. This growth represents a significant opportunity, but accelerating into NbS implementation without concrete, principled guidance also represents a major risk. Without parameters and guidelines, much of this investment may be wasted or flow into and through institutions and power structures that do not respect human rights, protect Indigenous Peoples and local communities, or provide accountable financial management.

This paper aims to centralize a shared statement of ambitious ethical guidelines, for discussion with the global community, that constitute the highest integrity for NbS benefit sharing. After discussion and refinement of these principles, WWF will seek to develop concrete, practical guidance for applying these principles to NbS interventions in several pilot landscapes.

For more resources and tools, visit tnrcproject.org .

The Climate-Smart Mangrove Tool (CSMT) is designed to aid conservation practitioners in selecting appropriate "climate-smart" actions to reduce the current and future impacts of climate change on mangrove ecosystems. The CSMT is composed of an Excel-based workbook and a guidance manual, which provide a step-by-step process for assessing climate vulnerability and selecting "climate-smart" management actions. The Tool was developed by WWF, in partnership with the University of Queensland.

Download the Climate-Smart Mangrove Tool Excel-based workbook. 

The Climate-Smart Mangrove Tool (CSMT) is designed to aid conservation practitioners in selecting appropriate "climate-smart" actions to reduce the current and future impacts of climate change on mangrove ecosystems. The CSMT is composed of an Excel-based workbook and a guidance manual, which provide a step-by-step process for assessing climate vulnerability and selecting "climate-smart" management actions. The Tool was developed by WWF, in partnership with the University of Queensland.

During the second half of 2023, WWF conducted a second annual assessment of 40 banks‚' seafood-related sector policies to understand if and how banks are improving the way they manage environmental and social (E&S) risks in their seafood portfolios, and where, specifically, additional support may be needed most. This report highlights key findings from this assessment, compares the results against last year‚'s baseline to monitor progress, provides actionable recommendations for banks, and directs readers to practical resources to guide next steps. Overall, the 2023 assessment found that an increasing number of banks are taking action to manage E&S risks related to nature loss, climate change and human rights issues in the seafood sector, with nine banks (23%) demonstrating improvements against last year‚'s baseline. However, more progress is needed to ensure that banks‚' policies sufficiently prevent and/or manage their exposure to these risks.

See the 2022 baseline assessment here.

This paper demonstrates the application of WWF's Integrity Principles for benefit sharing mechanisms (BSMs) in nature-based solutions (NbS). It is adapted from specific guides created for three WWF landscape teams, offering a general version that can be adapted for other landscapes and organizations. This guide is organized into four key pillars of effective governance: (1) full and effective participation, (2) transparency and accountability, (3) fairness, and (4) effectiveness. Each pillar is subdivided into smaller elements containing prompts and questions to assist project implementers. This guide complements WWF's Integrity principles for benefit sharing in forest NbS for climate mitigation paper, which proposed 12 principles for how benefits of NbS can be shared in a way that is fair, accountable, rights-based, and effective. NbS harnesses the power of nature to boost environmental and social benefits. BSMs are what ensures that NbS interventions deliver both benefits and are sustainable in the long term. Achieving this relies on good governance of the BSM in NbS.

The Conservation Measures Partnership‚'s (CMP) " Direct Threats Classification " is a foundational tool for cross-field and cross-organizational collaboration in conservation. The Direct Threats provide a shared language for understanding and discussing the main threats to conservation and the actions conservation actors take to address those threats.

This guide builds on the Direct Threats Classification to show how, for each direct threat, corruption may manifest as an indirect threat. In the same spirit as the Direct Threats Classification, practitioners can use this simple tool to see if they recognize any corruption dynamics they may be overlooking in their situation analysis. If teams identify corruption as a contributing factor, they can then use the following resources to inform their responses.

This TNRC resource provides an introduction to behavioral science and why it might be relevant to anti-corruption and conservation practitioners, along with concrete guidance for practitioners on how to get started in applying social norms and behavior change insights to efforts to reduce the impact of corruption on conservation.

This series of four guides offers practical guidance on the potential applications of behavioral science toward enhancing anti-corruption and conservation efforts. It is Part 1 of a four-part series .

For more resources and tools, visit tnrcproject.org .

This resource explores the topic of collusive corruption and how it can be addressed using a social norms and behavior change approach. It is based on a scenario where corruption affects a community-based resource management scheme in the forestry sector.

This series of four guides offers practical guidance on the potential applications of behavioral science toward enhancing anti-corruption and conservation efforts. It is Part 3 of a four-part series.

For more resources and tools, visit tnrcproject.org.