On behalf of the Governments of Botswana and Guatemala, The Nature Conservancy and partners seek to develop a GCF Funding Proposal based on the Concept Note endorsed by the GCF, to create a transformational, flagship climate-biodiversity nexus program, entitled Climate Resilient Enduring Earth (CREE) led by TNC and WWF, by applying a Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) model in these participating countries. This will address structural funding gaps and systemic barriers to investments that enhance management effectiveness of Protected and Conserved Areas (PCAs) in order to reduce climate and non-climate threats and increase the climate resilience of indigenous and local communities and economies.

Climate change is exacerbating ecosystem degradation and threatening the livelihoods of communities across Botswana and Guatemala through increasing temperatures, erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, and flooding. These climate impacts are accelerating biodiversity loss, weakening ecosystem services such as water regulation and food provision, and increasing the vulnerability of rural, Indigenous, and nature-dependent populations. Protected and conserved areas, which serve as ecological anchors and critical adaptation assets, are increasingly under pressure due to inadequate financing, limited technical capacity, fragmented institutional coordination, and weak integration of climate risk into PCA planning.

The proposed project will strengthen the climate resilience of ecosystems and communities by enhancing the management effectiveness, governance, and sustainable financing of protected area landscapes in the project countries. Through climate-informed investments in nature-based solutions (NbS), restoration, sustainable land use, and community-based adaptation, the project will reduce the vulnerability of people and ecosystems. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and The Pew Charitable Trusts (Pew) and two national partners in Guatemala will serve as executing entities for the Funding Proposal, supported by government and technical partners, with co-financing mobilized from government and bilateral sources.

The Funding Proposal will be developed and submitted to the GCF within 8 months of PPF signing (implemented quickly by sourcing a large firm with numerous staff working on the proposal simultaneously), followed by an anticipated 4-7 months for revisions during the GCF review process, subject to GCF timelines. If the target board meeting is adjusted, the PPF implementation period will be lengthened accordingly, not to exceed 18 months.