The UK government has announced a new funding package to support over 80 conservation projects across 36 developing countries and 12 UK Overseas Territories over the next five years. This investment aims to restore ecosystems, protect biodiversity, address climate change, and improve the livelihoods of local communities, targeting both environmental sustainability and poverty reduction. The funding will safeguard habitats and species such as tigers, Philippine eagles, reef sharks, Amazon parrots, sea turtles, and lemurs, contributing to global nature conservation efforts.
Some of the projects receiving support include the protection of 1.5 million hectares of forest in Bolivia, which will help prevent deforestation, generate income for indigenous communities, and secure local water supplies. In St Helena, the unique cloud forest will be restored through RSPB-led efforts to improve water security and tackle invasive species. In the Philippines, a project led by Botanic Gardens Conservation International will restore the tropical rainforest of the Pantaron Mountain Range while protecting the critically endangered Philippine eagle and supporting local indigenous communities. In Madagascar, reforestation and regenerative agriculture projects will expand habitats for endangered lemurs and improve food security for local farmers.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds highlighted the importance of international action to protect ecosystems, noting that healthy environments underpin food, water, health, and economic stability worldwide. The funding comes from the Darwin Initiative, which supports biodiversity and poverty reduction projects in low- and middle-income countries, and Darwin Plus, which focuses on biodiversity in the UK Overseas Territories. Since 1993, the Darwin Initiative has awarded over £230 million to more than 1,275 projects across 159 countries.
In addition, the UK government recently announced projects funded through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, which combats wildlife trafficking while supporting safer communities and sustainable local economies. The overall £35 million investment aligns with Britain’s leadership on tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, supporting the Global Biodiversity Framework, the 30×30 commitment to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030, and global conservation priorities ahead of COP30.
This comprehensive approach ensures that both people and wildlife benefit, combining habitat restoration, species protection, sustainable livelihoods, and climate resilience to create long-term, globally significant outcomes.
