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Around the world, poverty and unsustainable land-use practices contribute to habitat destruction and biodiversity loss. The Nature Conservancy has tackled these threats by supporting projects that develop livelihoods for local communities and help provide an incentive to protect critical habitat. These projects are often too small or too cutting edge to access financing from conventional sources, so the Conservancy, together with the Inter-American Development Bank, established EcoEnterprises Fund to fill that gap.
Launched in 2000, EcoEnterprises Fund offers both risk capital to finance sustainable business growth, and technical assistance to help build capacity and ensure long-term success for environmentally and socially responsible enterprises in Latin America and the Caribbean. Since the program’s founding, EcoEnterprises Fund has been a leader in expanding investment capital flows into biodiversity-based businesses, supporting successful conservation business partnerships and providing the engine for the evolution of this market niche.
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photos © Mark Godfrey (Shrimp fisherman); © Mark Godfrey (Shade-grown coffee plant)