The benefits that humans receive from nature and healthy ecosystems, like food, freshwater, medicine, pollination of crops, soil formation, and many others, are essential for our survival and foster economic activity. These so-called “ecosystem services” depend on biodiversity, but human activity continues to worsen habitat loss, pollution, the spread of invasive species, and other factors, driving catastrophic losses of biodiversity and of economic opportunity.
And yet, for every dollar governments invest in protecting such critical areas and supporting nature-based tourism, the economic rate of return is at least six-times the original investment.
Some countries are starting to recognize these economic benefits and taking steps to protect these areas with the support of the European Union for Environment program (EU4Environment), a €20 million program funded by the European Union and implemented in part by the World Bank.
EU4Environment aims to help Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, also known as the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries, to better preserve their natural resources, enhance environmental well-being, and promote sustainable growth. The implementing organizations include the OECD, UNIDO, UNECE, and UNEP (2019–2024), as well as the World Bank (2021–2026).
With an allocation of €6 million, the World Bank leads on supporting country efforts to strengthen their regulatory frameworks to promote sustainable forestry and better manage protected sites, building on important achievements of past programs, such as the Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) program and the Emerald Network, which were completed between 2017 and 2018.
The World Bank’s activities center around four key areas:
- A shared network of protected areas (the Emerald Network of Areas of Special Conservation Interest): The program supports the development and management of new and existing Emerald Network sites. It aims to enhance the capacity of partner countries for effective management of these sites; promote awareness and regional cooperation and facilitate knowledge exchange with EU member states.
- Community action on ecosystem services: The program aims to assess barriers and identify opportunities for sustainable forest and natural resource management across more than 20 communities within EaP countries. This includes developing guidelines and tools to enhance local community engagement in natural resource management, while promoting knowledge exchange.
- Preventing illegal logging and promoting legal wood trade: The program aims to assess the impact of EU deforestation regulation on partner countries, strengthen systems for monitoring timber and wood trade, and advance the use of innovative technologies to support timber exports.
- Effective strategies for funding natural capital conservation: The program facilitates natural capital conservation by identifying investment and financing opportunities, developing guidelines for ecosystem service valuation, sharing regional and international experiences on financing schemes and policies related to forest and natural resource management sectors, and promoting collaboration on these issues at regional and international levels.
These activities facilitate the adoption of innovative technologies and the creation of jobs, particularly in areas such as eco-tourism and natural resource management and that provide livelihoods for local communities while contributing to the long-term preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
EU4Environment operates at both regional and national levels. While its primary support is to government authorities in the EaP countries, it also collaborates closely with civil society, academia, and the private sector. By engaging diverse stakeholders, the program builds broader support for its activities and ensures more sustainable results.
The World Bank is leveraging the knowledge under the EU4Environment for more lasting and resilient economic development, and to attract additional funding and investment from donors and the private sector. EU4Environment’s knowledge has contributed to the development of environmental restoration investment projects, such as the Armenia Resilient Landscapes Project (RESILAND) and the Moldova Restoring Ecosystems for Marine Pollution Prevention Project (RE-MAP).
To learn more, please visit the EU4Environment website.