Protecting and restoring the natural world takes money. To generate that funding, UNEP is forging innovative partnerships with governments and the private sector, while directing financing to companies with nature-friendly business models. 

For example, UNEP, in partnership with the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, channeled more than US$35 million to businesses and communities that are protecting the world’s corals, which are under mounting threat from climate change, pollution and human activity. In 2024, more than 31,000 people benefitted from that funding through improved livelihood opportunities. 

The UNEP-led Restoration Cities initiative is backing 24 urban centres as they revive their natural landscapes, with an emphasis on shunting financing towards restoration-related projects. In Dakar, Senegal, for example, it supported officials as they laid the groundwork for a greenbelt around the city, part of an effort to counter desertification.