£88,439,752 invested in 781 projects in 155 countries since 1992

About the Darwin Initiative

The Darwin Initiative was announced by the UK Government at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.

The Darwin Initiative assists countries that are rich in biodiversity but poor in financial resources to meet their objectives under one or more of the three major biodiversity Conventions: the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES); and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), through the funding of collaborative projects which draw on UK biodiversity expertise.

The Darwin Advisory Committee (currently chaired by Professor David MacDonald), consisting of experts from government, academic, science and the private sector, advises Ministers on development of the Initiative and makes recommendations on applications for funding.

Darwin projects are diverse. Typically, they may address issues in the following areas:

  • institutional capacity building
  • training
  • research
  • work to implement the Biodiversity Convention
  • environmental education or awareness

Page last modified: Friday, 12 October 2012

Darwin 2012 - 20 years of the Darwin Initiative

Latest tweets

Mon Apr 08 12:38 | Ecstatic to announce the launch of our Round 19 projects. Check out the http://Defra.gov.uk website for info. #biodiversity #conservation
Sat Mar 23 09:13 | Great workshop yesterday with new projects. Hopefully logframe isnt such a dirty word now. #mande #biodiversity
Fri Mar 22 14:22 | The workshop will serve as an induction to new projects. We're very much looking forward to meeting you all. #biodiversity
Wed Mar 20 14:21 | Demand for places for tomorrows workshop was so high we've run out of room. Never fear though we'll share the materials with those not there
Thu Mar 7 15:26: | Watching CITES negotiations avidly? Remember Darwin is a funder of projects supporting CITES #trade #CITES #conventions
Thu Mar 07 15:14 | The workshop for New Projects is open to staff on all new projects. March 22nd in London. #networking #induction
Wed Jan 09 14:55 | DEFRA's Ecosystem Knowledge Network's new webpage on Payments for Ecosystem Services http://t.co/iwJtV6hc

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