About the Biodiversity Economy Project
The Biodiversity Economy Project is a five-year project, funded by the Global Environment Facility, that aims to boost the biodiversity economy around protected areas in South Africa. The project builds on South Africa’s National Biodiversity Economy Strategy, which seeks to balance the conservation of biodiversity with sustainable use and achieve economic development and equitable distribution of benefits. The project is focussed on increasing benefits to local communities who are involved in conservation by improving the capacity to implement initiatives within the biodiversity economy.
The World Bank is the implementing partner for the Biodiversity Economy Project, which is executed by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), South African National Parks (SANParks), South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA) and iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority (IWPA).
Project activities will focus on three landscapes spread across the country in areas with strong potential for vibrant biodiversity economies. They include the Greater Addo-Amathole node in the Eastern Cape, the Greater Kruger-Limpopo node in Limpopo, and the Greater iSimangaliso node in KwaZulu-Natal. The project will work with communities in these nodes to bring biodiversity rich areas under conservation through the biodiversity stewardship programmes. It will also increase economic opportunities by providing support to small businesses, improving governance capacity, and benefit
sharing to communities neighbouring protected areas.
For more information on the Biodiversity Economy Project, please contact Aimee Ginsburg at
About the Biodiversity Stewardship and Biodiversity Economy Newsletter
The Newsletter serves as an informative communication of the initiatives and activities being implemented in areas related to biodiversity stewardship and the biodiversity economy. It contributes to raising awareness about the impact and benefits of conservation, to increase involvement and share knowledge with a broader audience.
For more information on the Newsletter, please contact Mpho Gumula Ratshikhopha at
Biodiversity stewardship is an approach to securing land in biodiversity priority areas through entering into agreements with private and communal landowners, led by conservation authorities, with non-governmental organisations often playing a key supporting role.
Biodiversity economy encompasses the businesses and economic activities that either directly depend on biodiversity for their core business or that contribute to conservation of biodiversity through their activities.