| Overview : The Global Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) is managed by UNDP, in partnership with the European Commission and the Governments of Germany, Switzerland, Norway and Flanders. The BIOFIN project is envisioned to transform the way in which biodiversity finance is mobilized allowing for greater resources to be enacted as required within the Aichi Targets defined in the CBD’s Strategic Plan (2011 – 2020). Over the past two years, the UNDP Global BIOFIN team together with 30 countries have been involved in developing and piloting the new BIOFIN methodology which will be refined through regional and global learning. South Africa initiated its BIOFIN project in 2015 and has met several envisioned goals including the undertaking of a: Policy and Institutional Review (PIR), Financial Needs Assessment, Biodiversity Expenditure Review and a Biodiversity Financial Plan. Within the Biodiversity Finance Plan, 16 financial solutions were identified as being instruments that could be developed or refined to increase financial flows earmarked for biodiversity protection. One of the financial solutions of interest was the implementation of South Africa’s bio-economy strategy within which wildlife ranching certification was of special interest. The objective is to develop a sector-wide voluntary market-based certification scheme that is supported by key industry/sector stakeholders and that incentivises environmentally and socially sustainable practices and contributes to biodiversity conservation. A key factor to take into account is that such a certification scheme should also provide a best-practice business guideline to support the entrance of emerging wildlife ranchers in the sector. | 
