UAE President pledges $40 million to Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund: Details inside
In a landmark move highlighting his keen interest in protecting nature, HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, President of the UAE, has announced a contribution of $40 million to the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (MBZ Fund).
Razan Al Mubarak, Managing Director of MBZ Fund and UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28, made the announcement as she addressed delegates at the Asian Venture Philanthropy Forum (AVPF) Global Conference 2024 on Saadiyat Island.
Insight into MBZ Fund’s small grants programme
Established by His Highness in 2009, the Fund has supported grassroots species conservation programmes in hundreds of countries across all seven continents, and the latest contribution of $40 million is set to increase the Fund’s endowment to over $70 million by 2028.
The move supports the MBZ Fund’s small grants programme – prominent across the globe for protecting direct species conservation initiatives through $25,000 per project. The programme plays a key role in shielding the most vulnerable species from harm.
The essential programme protects species listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Nonetheless, it also supports species classified as Data Deficient by the IUCN – species about which little data is available but are likely threatened.
MBZ Fund protecting both species and conservationists
Overall, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund is a lifeline for species and conservationists alike. It believes that conservationists and organisations are just as important and threatened as the species they so passionately try to support.
The Fund is an innovative philanthropy providing targeted grants to individual species conservation initiatives and recognising leaders in the field of species conservation. Its reach is truly global and its species interest is non-discriminatory.
