LOCAL FINANCING, GLOBAL IMPACT: REFLECTIONS FROM THE WORLD CONSERVATION CONGRESS 2025

Over several days at the IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC), islands, Indigenous peoples, and local communities reminded the world that resilience is not some abstract goal:

It is something we must live and practice every day.

ISLANDS REPRESENTING AT THE WCC

From Palau’s traditional wisdom to new Pacific financing pilots, the conversations at WCC 2025 reinforced a shared conviction amongst islands: lasting conservation must begin with local leadership, locally grounded finance, and long-term trust.

The Congress opened with an address from President Surangel Whipps Jr. of Palau, who spoke candidly about the reversal of decades of progress, but also about the strength that comes from cultural grounding. Drawing from the Palauan practice of the bul, a traditional moratorium to allow ecosystems time to recover, he reminded delegates that conservation is not about restriction, but restoration.

That framing shaped much of the dialogue throughout the week. Speakers across sessions called for a “re-wilding” not just of nature, but of conservation systems themselves; moving away from extractive, top-down models toward those that center Indigenous peoples, women, youth, and local communities.

In one of the most resonant interventions, Steven Suti Agalo of the Solomon Islands reminded participants that real conservation demands accountability, transparency, and love. That spirit lies at the core of the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA): island leadership is global leadership, and community-led conservation offers pathways the world urgently needs.

FROM VISION TO THE DECADE OF ISLAND RESILIENCE

The Islands for Resilience Breakfast, hosted by Island Conservation, was a defining moment. It marked the passage of Resolution 71: The Decade of Island Resilience, affirming that islands must remain visible and vocal in the global biodiversity and climate agenda.

Speakers, including Minister Ralph Regenvanu of Vanuatu and Ambassador Safiya Sawney of Grenada (GLISPA’s Board Chair), emphasised that a Decade of Island Resilience must translate into coordinated action and ensure resources actually reach those implementing solutions on the ground.

Key priorities emerged:

• Financing that is coordinated, strategic, and accessible to local actors.

• Ground-level engagement in planning and implementation.

• Addressing invasive species as a major biodiversity threat.

• Recognizing the spiritual and cultural dimensions of island stewardship.

• Ensuring no island is left behind in the global transition.

At the event, Michael Bunce of the Minderoo Foundation, in what was a timely boost for collaborative science and innovation, announced AUD 1.2 million to Island Conservation in new funding for island-based research and conservation, including eDNA studies of island–ocean ecosystems that will be available to island partners.

ISLANDS AS GLOBAL DRIVERS OF CONSERVATION EFFORTS

It’s no coincidence that islands serve as microcosms for global conservation challenges. They are the canaries in the coalmine across the interconnected crises of climate, ocean, and biodiversity.

At the BESTLIFE2030 side event, “Scaling up on-the-ground conservation action in the EU Overseas,” this truth was unmistakable. Islands are not only biodiversity hotspots; they are drivers of conservation innovation whose local efforts create ripple effects regionally and globally.

For GLISPA, this conversation was deeply personal. Our story has been intertwined with BESTLIFE2030 from its inception. From the early days of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Programme of Work on Island Biodiversity, GLISPA supported EU Overseas Countries and Territories in mobilizing political support, mobilising funding, strengthening connections, and showcasing how local leadership advances global goals.

That collaboration helped to inspire the concept of “Island Bright Spots” — a celebration of what’s working — which became a hallmark of island cooperation. Two decades later, BESTLife2030 continues that mission, empowering people who live and work closest to nature.

To build on this legacy, GLISPA has launched the Island Biodiversity Coalition, designed to re-energise and highlight islands’ leadership in biodiversity and reaffirm their central role in the global conservation agenda.

Its objectives are clear:

• Mobilize ambitious island commitments, following the examples of the Micronesia Challenge 2030 and the BEST Challenge.
• Coordinate advocacy to ensure island voices shape global biodiversity outcomes.
• Track and accelerate 30x30 and biodiversity targets, showcasing island progress.
• Link island priorities to financing mechanisms across biodiversity, climate, and ocean agendas.
• Strengthen peer-to-peer collaboration and capacity building among island networks.

To truly elevate islands’ leadership, we must recognise, resource, and replicate what has always made them powerful change agents: moral authority, practical innovation, and solidarity.

STRENGTHENING THE BACKBONE OF CONSERVATION

Another key moment came through the session co-organized by RedLAC (Network of Latin American and Caribbean Environmental Funds) and CAFÉ (Consortium of African Funds for the Environment). The session reaffirmed the essential role of Conservation Trust Funds (CTFs) as the financial backbone of global conservation. These are institutions that combine sound governance, accountability, and long-term vision.

For island nations, this model is especially relevant. GLISPA partners include several key regional and local conservation trust funds located within Small Island Developing States. With the support of the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund, Micronesia Conservation Trust, the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT), Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future, Niue Ocean Wide Trust, and the Conservation Finance Alliance, we’ve launched the SIDS Conservation Trust Funds Community of Practice (CoP) which connects island CTFs across regions to share lessons, build capacity, and amplify impact.

RedLAC and CAFÉ emphasised that when we invest in strong, locally grounded financial institutions, we invest in lasting conservation.

LOCAL FINANCING, GLOBAL IMPACT

One of the most thought-provoking sessions took place in the Indigenous Peoples Pavilion, focused on resource mobilisation for Indigenous and traditional territories, including marine and coastal areas.

In a keynote contribution, GLISPA’s Executive Director, Kate Brown, shared:

“This is less about how much money we mobilise — and more about how we mobilise it. Too often, systems value projects over people, outputs over relationships, and speed over trust. True conservation depends on relationships, leadership, and long-term stewardship.”

That perspective underscores GLISPA’s approach: ensuring that Indigenous and local actors help govern and guide financing mechanisms, that partnerships are trust-based, and that conservation recognizes culture, governance, and language as essential infrastructure for sustainability.

This vision took form at a session co-hosted by IUCN, GLISPA, and partners, launching the Tailored Local Support Facility: a new mechanism inspired by the Blue Carbon Accelerator Fund and the Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility.

Starting with an Asia-Pacific pilot, the Facility will support regenerative blue economy initiatives that reduce marine plastic pollution and enhance mangrove, seagrass, and coral resilience — ecosystems vital for both people and the planet.

A SHARED TRUTH

Across all these discussions — from Palau’s bul to the Decade of Island Resilience, from the BESTLIFE2030 collaboration to the Tailored Local Support Facility — a single truth resonated through the Congress:

Local leadership isn’t just where conservation financing should end up — it’s where it must begin.

The World Conservation Congress 2025 reaffirmed what GLISPA and its partners have championed for two decades: that islands, Indigenous peoples, and local communities hold both the wisdom of resilience and the blueprint for our shared future.

As we look toward 2030 and beyond, the task ahead is clear — invest in people, trust local leadership, and design financing systems that honour the connections between culture, nature, and community. Because when islands thrive, the world learns how to live in balance.

As a partnership, GLISPA succeeds because of its members. We celebrate their enthusiasm and commitment .

We are proud to facilitate and amplify their efforts, and we look forward to continuing this momentum.