The Kunming Biodiversity Fund is accelerating action to help developing countries scale up their biodiversity strategies, global leaders say.

Launched by China in May last year, the fund is a major international financing initiative for biodiversity conservation.

On the sidelines of the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, Elizabeth Mrema, deputy executive director of the UN Environment Programme, said the fund has established an Independent Technical Advisory Group, launched calls for catalytic and full-size projects, and endorsed operational manuals to ensure consistency, compliance and efficiency.

Mrema said financing remains a critical challenge for many countries implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022 at the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal, Canada. The Kunming fund, with a commitment of 1.5 billion yuan ($213 million), is helping bridge this gap, she said.

"In October, it endorsed 22 full-size projects worth $27 million, supporting biodiversity action in 34 countries. These projects are translating global commitments into national action, promoting a whole-of-society approach, strengthening policies and capacities, and mobilizing additional resources."

Steven Victor, the environment minister of Palau, said the Kunming Biodiversity Fund will help build on-the-ground capacities, enabling countries to integrate scientific information into policy development and conservation efforts.

"Food system transformation is quite critical for Palau and many of the Pacific Islands. For Palau, we import 80 percent of the food we eat," Victor said. People used to rely on nature, but as society has shifted toward convenience, they increasingly just buy what they need from stores, he said.

Victor expressed hope that the project will provide the scientific foundation, expertise and capacity Palau needs to play a meaningful role in global biodiversity conservation.

He also voiced concern that communities are losing touch with nature as more people move to cities. "Putting policies in place that protect nature and help people understand its value to economic growth and social wellbeing is quite important," he said.

Dammika Patabendi, environment minister of Sri Lanka, said the fund will support the creation of a unified national biosecurity system capable of proactively addressing invasive species at scale.

Coordinated framework

"This investment is transformative, because for the first time Sri Lanka will institutionalize a comprehensive and coordinated framework for invasive alien species prevention, control and long-term management," Patabendi said.

The project will establish a national digital monitoring and reporting system to provide real-time information for rapid action, he said. Border agencies will also be strengthened with improved detection tools, standardized disposal protocols and improved enforcement capacity, he added.

Guo Fang, China's vice-minister of ecology and environment, said China established the Kunming Biodiversity Fund to advance global biodiversity governance and support developing countries in achieving the 2030 global targets.

The fund represents China's firm commitment to multilateralism and is a concrete step toward building a community with a shared future for humanity, Guo said.

It plays a leading role in narrowing the global biodiversity financing gap and provides targeted support to developing countries' urgent needs, making tangible contributions to global conservation efforts, she said.