The nine-donor pledge to donate $ 5 billion to conservation efforts to tackle threats to biodiversity and help control climate change has been embraced by philanthropists. Take a different approach.

Last week’s announcement, which licensors call the “Challenge to Protect the Earth,” was called 30 x 30 in the world to protect 30% of the land and 30% of the oceans by 2030. The goal is to support rapid support for initiatives. , 72 countries are already registered. This is discussed as a possible global goal in the Convention on Biological Diversity, a United Nations treaty similar to the Climate Change Agreement.

Jeff Bezos announced last week that his new organization, the Bezos Earth Fund, would donate $ 1 billion to the effort. He said previous conservation efforts had failed because they did not include locals or indigenous peoples. “We don’t make the same mistakes,” he said. “We are supporting a new generation of programs. They are led by communities that focus on livelihoods and incentives and offer a better path to prosperity. “

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation expects a donation of $ 1 billion. The Rainforest Trust and the Wyss Foundation have each pledged $ 500 million. Other grant makers are Arcadia, Bloomberg Philanthropy, Near Terror, Re: Wild, Rob, and Melani Walton Foundation. The group did not announce which nonprofits will receive the funds, but said the Earth Fund will send funds to the Congo Basin, the tropical Andes and the tropical Pacific.

They all pledged to work with indigenous peoples and communities in their conservation efforts. Studies show that natural sites managed by indigenous peoples include healthy ecosystems and extensive biodiversity. James Deutsch, CEO of Rainforest Trust, says there are few uninhabited areas left today.

“Most of the protected areas that will be created in the future will be wholly or partly owned and managed in whole or in part by inhabitants or indigenous peoples. It’s a very positive development, ”he says.

Supporting efforts to enable these groups to legally appropriate and manage and protect their lands in remote areas of the world is a trivial task, especially at such scales. Not. Some groups do not have the legal personality required to receive the grant. They can be difficult to reach and there may be cultural and language barriers. One answer is to work with organizations already associated with these places where funds can be distributed to the most effective groups, said Brian O’Donnell, director of nature campaigns advocating a “30 × 30” goal. to say.

The Wildlife Conservation Society, like many other large groups, is redirecting its conservation efforts to include locals and indigenous peoples, said Christian Samper, CEO of the group. .. But even that level of expertise wouldn’t be enough given the magnitude of the effort, he said. You may need a new Indigenous organization that knows and understands local leaders and communities to help you pay this money effectively.

The Earth Fund aims to work with such groups. “The most important thing you need to do in the world cannot be done by a large organization,” said Andrew Steer, CEO of the Bezos Earth Foundation. “They will be done by many, sometimes hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of small groups. “

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which is contributing to this effort, is already supporting indigenous communities in the Amazon. Areas managed by indigenous communities performed better than others during the Amazon fire, says Aileen Lee, program manager, responsible for the Foundation’s environmental protection program. Funding from the Foundation not only helped protect these areas, but continued to support carbon uptake and promotion of biodiversity, while being more resilient to the effects of climate change. She says.

Another contributor to the $ 5 billion effort is Melissa Wright, who heads Bloomberg’s vibrant marine initiative. Bloomberg Philanthropy has already worked closely with local governments and some indigenous communities for marine ecosystems. He declares that he supports the protection of the system. We have worked with mayors and other local leaders in Brazil, Indonesia, Micronesia, the Philippines and other regions. The Foundation supports data monitoring and scientific research, and assists in policy development to help these communities establish marine conservation.

Charity may have to take more risk, O’Donnell said, as much of the world’s biodiversity is surrounded by wars, unstable and corrupt governments, which is not an ideal place to work. He says it may not be. “Just taking all of these places off the table would rob some of the most naturally blessed places on the planet of philanthropy, and if that happened, we would be the best on the planet. You’ll lose some of the space, ”says O’Donnell. “It will bring about a cultural shift in philanthropy. “

The Earth Fund plans to accept certain risks, Stair says. “Charity can and should take a lot of calculated risks, because we need them to win the battle,” he says. But we also need responsibility and the willingness to learn from failure.

Despite the historic magnitude of the announcement, O’Donnell says a lot more money is needed from government and philanthropy to achieve this goal. According to a study by researchers at the University of Cambridge and Campaign For Nature, if 30% of land and seas are protected, effective management of these areas can cost $ 140 billion a year. Currently, the government spends about $ 24 billion on protected area management, mostly in the United States and Canada, he says.

Just last week, the European Union announced that it would double its funding for biodiversity. Days after the announcement, Earth Fund Steer said it had had a conversation with government officials showing renewed interest in conservation.

“The idea is to create this awesome tone. In fact, people who really care go the extra mile to get out of their membership and invest serious resources, ”he says. And it helps encourage governments and businesses to fund.

This is not the first major conservation commitment. Leila Salazar-Lopez, executive director of Amazon Watch, which funds indigenous communities in the Amazon rainforest, said the Foundation group pledged $ 500 million in 2018, with other foundations before that. Declared. However, she says the organizations she works with haven’t received funding from previous announcements.

The 30 × 30 goal is laudable, but she says the coordinator of the Amazon Basin Indigenous Organization, a coalition of indigenous peoples living in the Amazon, wants to protect 80% of the Amazon by 2025. … International Union for the Conservation of Nature has also adopted this position. This is approved by the Wildlife Conservation Society. that too.

Salazar-López agrees that philanthropy recognizes that many of the past conservation approaches have failed and hopes change has happened.

“It’s time to invest directly in indigenous territories, land conservation and forest management,” she said. “I hope this $ 5 billion pledge of protection gets to where it’s needed most, and to those who need it most.”

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This article was contributed to The Associated Press by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Jim Rendon is a senior writer for Chronicles. Email: [email protected] APs and Chronicles are supported by the Lily Foundation for philanthropic and nonprofit organizations. AP and Chronicle are solely responsible for all content. For all AP philanthropy coverage, please visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.