GEF approves $372 million for a new round of environmental projects as the Global Environment Facility Council agreed funding for 36 programmes aimed at biodiversity protection, climate adaptation, and ecosystem restoration across developing countries.
The approvals were made at the GEF Council meeting in December 2025 and will support initiatives in 59 countries, including 21 Small Island Developing States and 21 Least Developed Countries, according to an official GEF statement. The funding comes as countries work to meet the 2030 targets under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted in 2022.
Funding allocation across GEF-managed funds
Of the total package, the GEF Trust Fund will provide approximately $291 million, making it the largest contributor in this funding round. An additional $49 million was approved through the Least Developed Countries Fund to support climate adaptation in vulnerable countries. The Special Climate Change Fund will provide $3 million, while $29 million was approved from the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund.
Together, the projects span biodiversity conservation, climate action, land restoration, and ecosystem management. GEF-supported initiatives are designed to help developing countries meet commitments under international environmental agreements, including the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Biodiversity priorities and the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund
Biodiversity emerged as a central theme in the December approvals. Many of the cleared projects focus on restoring ecosystems, protecting habitats, and improving the sustainable management of land and marine areas.
The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, created to help countries translate global biodiversity goals into national action, approved a work programme worth about $28 million supporting projects in Colombia, Indonesia, and Madagascar. Including this programme, the GBFF has invested more than $288.7 million in 62 projects benefiting 71 countries in under 24 months.
In Colombia, the Biomanglar project targets mangrove restoration along the Pacific coast, working with Afro-Colombian communities to improve ecosystem connectivity and manage nearly 620,000 hectares of land and marine protected areas. In Madagascar, a new initiative strengthens community-led marine conservation while reinforcing national conservation trust funds. In Indonesia, a wild ecotourism project integrates biodiversity conservation into land and sea planning across five national parks, with more than half of additional tourism revenues expected to be reinvested in park administration.
Climate adaptation, co-financing, and institutional transition
Beyond biodiversity, the Council approved new adaptation projects through the LDCF and SCCF, highlighting links between ecosystem restoration, climate resilience, and community livelihoods. Since July 2022, GEF-approved projects are expected to mobilise $8.50 in co-financing for every dollar of GEF funding, including $8.1 billion from private sources, with blended finance operations targeting a 19-to-1 co-financing ratio.
The meeting also marked a leadership transition, with Carlos Manuel Rodríguez stepping down as GEF Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson. Claude Gascon, the organisation’s Director of Strategy and Operations, was appointed interim CEO as the GEF prepares for its next funding cycle beginning in 2026, a period expected to shape multilateral environmental finance ahead of the 2030 deadline.
RELATED STORIES:
Follow SDG News on LinkedIn
