Van Long NR was created at the request of the local communities themselves, and they have maintained a strong commitment in their participation of protecting and maintaining ecological and cultural values of Van Long.

Although Van Long NR is small compared to other Protected Areas in Vietnam, the core area of biodiversity conservation in Van Long is proving very effective in conserving biodiversity.

Van Long NR maintains to be the biggest inland wetland in the Northern Plain. The Nature Reserve is also the place with the biggest community of of Delacour langur, at present about 150-160 individuals, a very big increase (238%) compared to the number recorded at the time of its establishment, which was 60-67individuals. Delacour langur population is reproducing well. Beside that, water birds are increasing in numbers made Van Long became a interesting bird watching site. In addition, as a result of good management and protection of the limestone ecosystem and karst landscape, the limestone forests has rapidly recovered, contributing to the increased forest cover up to 30%. The Nature Reserve also performs good protection of the biggest inland wetland in the Northen Plain, which contributes to the preservation of valuable genetic sourcesfor aquatic species.

Once a business model is available, it is time to develop a project and find a financier.

Step 1. Design a project to pursue the business idea. It should include a clear structure and sound contractual frameworks (e.g. actors involved in implementing the project and their roles; financial flows; decision-making processes; and legal entities relevant for the project).

Step 2. Identify potential financiers, which may be environmental trust funds or impact investments. A trust fund is a vehicle for collecting, investing, allocating and managing assets, filled through donations, public funds or others (e.g. taxes). Impact investments are those made with the intention to generate positive, measurable social and environmental impact alongside a financial return. They are usually made by development finance institutions, private foundations, pension funds, individual investors and others.

Step 3. Develop a marketing strategy for the project.

Step 4. Develop a project business plan (PBP). A PBP is a written description of the future of a project (usually 3-5 years).  It describes the resources and capacities that exist now and those that will have been secured in the future. A PBP gives an investor confidence that the project team knows where they are going and how they will get there.

Addressing the financial gap requires securing investments from public and private sources.

Sept 1. Come up with a revenue generating idea, which can involve sale of a tangible product (e.g. coffee); a deal involving an intangible product (e.g. sale of carbon credits); or provision of a service (e.g. accommodation facilities).  In all cases, opportunities can exist within the boundaries of the protected area or in the surrounding area. 

Step 2. Elaborate the idea into a business model by identifying assets in the protected area that can be used to provide revenue for conservation, e.g. exceptional beauty, biodiversity, offsetting potential, etc.

Step 3. Conduct a feasibility study to prioritize ideas and determine whether to develop a project or not. A feasibility study explores multiple aspects of a business idea to determine if it is practical, viable and suitable for a specific context.

Step 4. Make the business case for the prioritized idea(s). A business case is intended to provide justification for pursuing a given business model.  Ultimately, the business case will be used to inform investors and convince them to invest in a given proposal. It is also useful to inform partners and other actors and stakeholders involved in the development of a conservation finance project.

We have identified clean water access as a key goal. Clean water access for humans, livestock, and wildlife will prevent wildlife-related injuries and deaths. In September 2012 IFAW conducted research and helped the county secure funding to rehabilitate the Northern Water Pipeline, which supplies water to communities living in the north of Amboseli. When the project is completed by the end of 2019, it is expected to reliably provide water to 300 homesteads, 3,000 people, and more than 6,000 herds of livestock. By rehabilitating the pipeline, the project ensures availability and sustainable management of clean water and sanitation for the Maasai community, and thus, reducing human-elephant conflict due to water access.

IFAW is increasing wildlife security in the Amboseli landscape by equipping community wildlife rangers with expertise and skills through training in human wildlife conflict mitigation and providing operation resources such as rations, salaries, GPS-equipment, uniforms and a patrol vehicle for use by the rangers.

IFAW also initiated an education scholarship to offer financial support to 60 students to pursue studies in high school, tertiary colleges and universities, and 50 community wildlife scouts. By providing education scholarships and wildlife ranger capacity building, IFAW ensures inclusive and equitable education and promotes lifelong learning opportunities and alternative livelihoods for the local community. 

IFAW is also working with local women to develop markets for income-generating activities such as beadwork and livestock management. By creating a boarding secondary school for girls and facilitating income generation among women, the project promotes gender equality and empowerment for all women and girls in Amboseli, thus, leaving no-one behind.

Amboseli National Park is home to some of Kenya’s largest elephant populations which depend on the surrounding community land for migration. In 2008, the land stakeholders recognized that the habitat loss threats, degradation, and fragmentation would lead to the loss of livelihoods and tourism revenue and opted to ensure the ecosystem’s sustainability. IFAW therefore partnered with relevant stakeholders to secure critical corridors and dispersal areas for elephants in community areas of the Amboseli landscape. To achieve this, IFAW implemented a multi-year commitment to secure 26,000 acres as wildlife migratory and dispersal land in the Amboseli landscape (the Kitenden Corridor, one of the last remaining elephant migratory corridors connecting Kenya and Tanzania).

To engage the downstream communities,  KENVO prepared pitch documents in form of facts sheets and documentaries  to use  to talk to potential downstream buyers. KENVO met buyers at their own offices and also invited them to come to the KBA and the forest catchments. This was to show them where the water came from and what needed to be done to maintain its flow and quality. This helped the buyers to get a better understanding of the importance of the PES scheme. KENVO identified potential buyers among them industries and water companies and tea estates. 

 
A business case for the site was developed  in a participatory process. Negotiation teams for the community were trained in negotiation skills to build their capacity to engage the bussineses. 

KENVO mobilized the community institutions (CFAs and WRUAs) into an organized group and built their capacity to engage in PES. Further, awareness on policies was raised among the community upstream. To strengthen the CFAs and the WRUAs, they were trained in all aspects related to PES – policies, practices, rights, responsibilities, fund management, monitoring and compliance. 

Community consultation engagements were held with CFAs and WRUAs and produced actions plans. The main objectives of the action plans was support land use practices that improve water quantity and quality and capacity build the local community to secure catchment restoration through water payment services scheme. 

1)      Conservation has become an increasingly popular career choice for young people all over the world. But many conservation organizations complain that young graduates don’t have the right attitude or the real-word skills. Nature Seychelles created the Conservation Boot Camp (CBC) on Cousin Island Special Reserve to test if the island could be used as a laboratory to equip young people with conservation skills, while at the same time use the fees paid as a sustainable funding mechanism for the MPA. The program was financially supported by the GEF from April 2016 to December 2019. The GEF project pays for a full time CBC Coordinator, equipment, and materials and other.  The coordinator manages the application process, and receives and integrates participants into the program.  A conservation manager leads on conservation work, while the Chief Warden manages all the logistics. The CBC is exclusive and takes a maximum of 6 persons per session and takes place the whole year. Each session lasts for 4 weeks and costs Euro 1000.00 (not including airfares and food). A 2 week program was been introduced due to demand. Nature Seychelles is a Private Training and Educational Institution under Seychelles law and a Certificate of Completion is awarded at the end of the training.