GEF CEO welcomes leadership of Colombia in expanding marine protected areas

The Global Environment Facility joined other partners and supporters to celebrate the achievements of Herencia Colombia (HECO) on the margins of the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon.

HECO plans to ensure the conservation and long-term financing of nearly 30 million hectares of protected landscapes and seascapes, equivalent to 14 percent of the Colombian territory.  

The GEF, the world’s largest funder of protected areas, was an early investor in the initiative. Last month, the GEF Council approved a $25 million grant to the Enduring Earth partnership to support Colombia’s leadership in protecting 30 percent of its ocean area and landmass by 2030.

“Thanks to ambitious initiatives like Herencia Colombia, President Ivan Duque Márquez was able to announce this week that the country already achieved 30 percent protection of its ocean,” said Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, GEF CEO and Chairperson. “This puts Colombia in an elite group that has achieved its 30×30 promise and is a huge testament to the country’s vision and leadership.”

“With Herencia Colombia, we can help guarantee the conservation and sustainable use of priority protected areas of the country and all the benefits generated in them, not only for Colombians, but for humanity,” said Carlos Eduardo Correa, Colombia Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development. “It is support from partners like the GEF and Enduring Earth that makes this possible.”

Enduring Earth is an ambitious collaboration that works alongside nations as they accelerate and amplify conservation for a more sustainable, prosperous future for people and planet.

Central to its approach is Project Finance for Permanence, an innovative model that fully funds conservation projects to ensure durable and scalable impact. Through a combination of partnerships, permanent funding, and local leadership, it aims to strengthen biodiversity, reinforce the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, reduce the effects of climate change, and catalyze economic growth. The collaboration is a partnership between The Nature Conservancy, The Pew Charitable Trusts, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and ZOMALAB, the family office of Ben and Lucy Ana Walton.

About the Global Environment Facility
The Global Environment Facility is the world’s largest funder of biodiversity protection, nature restoration, pollution reduction, and climate change response in developing countries. It finances international environmental conventions and country-driven initiatives that generate global benefits. The GEF partnership connects 184 member governments with civil society, Indigenous Peoples, and the private sector, and works closely with other environmental financiers for efficiency and impact. To date, the GEF has provided more than $22 billion in grants and blended finance and mobilized another $120 billion in co-financing for more than 5,000 national and regional projects, plus 27,000 community ventures through its Small Grants Programme.