Introduction to finance mechanisms and developing bankable project proposals

The global urban population has grown rapidly from 746 million in 1950 to 3.9 billion in 2014, and is expected to surpass six billion by 20451. By 2050, 70% of the global population will live and work in cities. This rapid urban growth places considerable pressure on city resources, particularly the natural resources that are vital to sustaining local economies, community health and well-being, food security and urban infrastructure. The 2018 World Economic Forum Global Risks Report has identified biodiversity loss and ecosystems collapse as being one of the top ten risks in terms of impact. By 2020, the end of the current United Nations Decade on Biodiversity, the world’s biodiversity is set to have declined by two-thirds, an unprecedented rate of destruction that jeopardises not only the amazing variety of life on Earth, but the prospects for human development and well-being.

At the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) 6th Plenary