Biodiversity Finance Research
The main goal of Biodiversity Research Finance is to identify and analyze financial tools and policy solutions that would direct more funds to biodiversity protection and reduce global biodiversity financing gap.
As big infrastructure projects in developing countries are especially threatening to the fragile local ecosystems, this topic has been researched mainly from the BRI perspective.
Research outputs:
BIOFIN capacity building in China
On December 6th 2022, the the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) UNDP Beijing office organized a seminar “Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN)”, first of the series of seminars that aim to promote the implementation of the biodiversity financing mechanism of the “Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework”. Experts from the UNDP, the International Research Institute of Green Finance (IIGF) of the Central University of Finance and Economics (CUFE), the Environmental Planning Research Institute of the Shandong Province, the Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences and the Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange were invited to introduce their projects and exchange views on the topic.
The Study of Corporate Biodiversity-related Information Disclosure
Recently, IIGF published report on corporate biodiversity-related financial disclosure, which is one of the first such studies in China. Through the surveys we found out that this is seen as important future direction for many Chinese enterprises and financial institutions. Jointly with
Shan Shui Conservation Center, Bank of Jiangsu and with contributions from researchers affiliated with Wildlife Conservation Society, we analyzed the current status of biodiversity-related disclosures, and based on the best international standards and practices, we put forward our recommendations that fit the Chinese context.
We hope this report will provide reference for Chinese policymakers and will contribute to development of relevant disclosure requirements in the future. The study was conducted under biodiversity working group launched by Green Finance Committee (GFC) of the China Society of Finance and Banking.
IIGF initiates cooperation between WWF and Bank of Beijing-MoU on pilot project to reduce commodity-driven biodiversity loss
During the annual meeting of the International Institute of Green Finance (IIGF) held on October 29, 2022 the WWF Beijing Representative Office and the Bank of Beijing signed a memorandum of cooperation to launch the Pilot Project of Green Finance in the Commodity Supply Chain. It is the first such agreement between NGO and Chinese Bank that aims to reduce deforestation from the financing end.
Debt-For-Nature Swaps: A Triple-Win Solution for Debt Sustainability and Biodiversity Finance in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)?
In this brief, we analyze the possibilities of applying debt-for-nature swaps in the Belt and Road Initiative, by explaining the concept, looking at successful cases of debt-for-nature swaps as well as analyzing the applicability of debt-for-nature swaps in the selected countries.
Four Axioms of Leadership for Biodiversity Conservation in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
The losses to biodiversity and its consequences on economies and our Earth’s well-being are becoming more evident, while the world is struggling for to develop the post-2020 biodiversity protection framework at the CBD COP 15 in Kunming. Progress for biodiversity protection is even more difficult than protecting climate. In this article, Dr. Christoph Nedopil Wang proposes four axioms, to help move ahead in biodiversity protection in the Belt and Road Initiative and more broadly.