For a recent Roundtable on green finance with financial institutions and development partners, CSF had the opportunity to provide inputs into the design of the session and provide concluding insights at the end of the session. This Analytical Note serves as a recap of the key findings and takeaways on the progress of implementing green finance in Sri Lanka, the near-term prospects, and current and emerging challenges to be tackled.

As Sri Lanka endures mounting pressure on public finances and explores new avenues for funding conservation efforts, CTFs have emerged as a promising mechanism that could provide long-term financing for its Protected Areas (PAs). David Meyers, Executive Director of the Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA), spoke at a recent Knowledge Roundtable organised by CSF on Conservation Trust Funds. Read our Analytical Note Edition 3, which summarises the key takeaways and insights from David Meyers and discussion generated by the participants.

CSF Research Associate Senith Abeyanayake reflects on a recent engagement with tourism industry leaders for a panel on charting a nature-positive economic recovery for Sri Lanka's tourism. This is part of CSF's 'Perspectives Series' of articles.

From our work with BRT on sustainable financing for marine conservation, read our Analytical Note Edition 2, from our second Knowledge Roundtable. It focuses on the imperative to develop bankable marine conservation plans, incorporating financial incentives and showcasing economic feasibility.

From our work with BRT on sustainable financing for marine conservation, read our Analytical Note Edition 1, from our first Knowledge Roundtable. It covers the need for site specific considerations for financing tools, government buy-in, and the alignment of financial incentives with stakeholder perspectives.

CSF is setting out to study the dynamics shaping a possible tourism recovery path that is just by nature, and study stakeholder perceptions around the barriers for, and opportunities to drive, a more nature-positive tourism sector.

As Sri Lanka's economic crisis jeopardizes sustainable development, the looming threat to environmental conservation and natural resource management is becoming apparent. The government's shrinking fiscal space intensifies the limiting of budgets for crucial initiatives. Meanwhile, much of the private sector is yet to fully integrate nature into their business and investment decisions. To add new ideas to the debate and push the conversation further, CSF and Echelon are collaborating on a new interview series launching soon.

There is now a growing interest in Sri Lanka on the concepts and prospects for green finance among Sri Lankan policymakers, regulators, and financial intermediaries, and some initial steps have been made to orient towards green lending. Yet, how far has actual implementation come and what are the prospects for the near-term? What are some of the critical issues that the financial sector must contend with, as it aims to support investments in a climate-resilient and nature-positive economic recovery?

As Sri Lanka looks to leverage innovative financial solutions for both public finance as well as environmental conservation objectives, a key mechanism that stakeholders must become familiar with is 'Conservations Trust Funds'. A new publication by helps unpack what Conservations Trusts are, what key features they have, why they are used, and provides some insightful examples of their deployment in other countries around the world.

Based on a suggestion at a recent Knowledge Roundtable hosted by CSF, our researchers set out to compare various innovative financial solutions available for conservation and identify which might be the most desirable and feasible to implement. It provides a starting point for industry players, regulators, policymakers, and other interested parties to make meaningful improvements to financing marine conservation in Sri Lanka

A new publication by CSF helps unpack what blue bonds are, for stakeholders in both the finance as well as environment professions, alongside Sri Lanka's interest in pursuing such instruments following other developing countries like Seychelles, Belize, Barbados, and others.

Climate shocks and natural ecosystem losses pose development challenges, especially for developing countries like Sri Lanka. Economic crises and debt restructuring pressure these countries, highlighting the need for innovative financing solutions. This article explores six financial instruments and initiatives to inspire Sri Lanka's efforts.