The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) board has approved a nature‑financing scheme for Fiji, offering support to the island nation’s efforts to protect ecosystems while addressing climate risks. As a small island developing state that faces recurrent cyclones, sea‑level rise and other climate vulnerabilities, Fiji is leveraging the CIF backing to build resilience through nature‑based solutions.

Under the plan, Fiji will focus on initiatives such as mangrove restoration, coastal ecosystem protection and other natural‑asset investments that help mitigate storm surges and erosion. The CIF approval signals a shift in climate finance: funding not just energy or mitigation technologies but also nature‑centric approaches that link adaptation, biodiversity and livelihoods.

For Fiji, this development is meaningful. With its economy and communities heavily exposed to climate hazards, investing in nature gives double‑duty benefits: climate risk reduction and ecological preservation. The support highlights how the country is stepping up its strategic climate‑finance planning—fitting alongside its already established National Climate Finance Strategy and other frameworks for decarbonisation and adaptation.

Beyond Fiji, the decision underscores how climate finance mechanisms are increasingly embracing “nature‑based solutions” as essential to resilient development. The CIF’s role is to deploy concessional capital and catalyse private investment to scale such interventions in vulnerable countries. Given that nature‑finance gaps remain large globally, this kind of backing sends a strong signal.

However, significant challenges remain. Effective implementation will hinge on strong governance, engaging local communities, ensuring that nature‑based solutions align with social priorities (for instance, protecting livelihoods and preserving cultural landscapes), and mobilising sufficient co‑finance from private and other public sources. For Fiji, aligning the nature‑financing plan with its debt sustainability considerations and infrastructure needs will be vital.

In summary, the CIF backing of Fiji’s nature‑finance plan marks a step forward in how climate finance is being deployed: more integrated across adaptation and nature, directed to highly vulnerable states, and geared toward building resilience via ecosystems as well as clean energy. For Fiji, it offers a practical path to protect both people and nature in the face of mounting climate threats.

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https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/cop/climate-investment-funds-backs-fiji-nature-financing-plan-2025-10-20/