Conservation Enterprises Brief
Promoting conservation enterprises is a strategy that is widely supported by USAID biodiversity funding. However, the evidence that conservation enterprises lead to conservation is mixed. In an effort to increase the understanding of conservation enterprises’ activities and outcomes and to improve the effectiveness of biodiversity programming, this brief synthesizes lessons from past USAID-funded efforts to support conservation enterprises.
Information relevant to Learning Questions:
Are enabling conditions in place to support a sustainable enterprise?
- Diversification
- Market demand, profit potential, access to credit/capital
- Ownership, governance
- Government requirements, policies for enterprises, business alliances
- Financial management capacity, technical capacity
- Equipment
- Benefit sharing, targeted participants, combined strategic approaches, biodiversity linkage, policies for and enforcement of resource use, external disturbance
Does the enterprise lead to benefits to stakeholders?
- Increased income for participants
- Non-cash benefits
Do the benefits lead to positive changes in attitudes and behavior?
- Attitudes regarding sustainable use of resources
- Behaviors regarding sustainable use of resources
Does a change in stakeholders’ behaviors lead to a reduction to threats to biodiversity (or restoration)?
- Addressed generally
Does a reduction in threats (or restoration) lead to conservation?
- Addressed generally
