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COLOURS

Building on the successes of the 12-year BIOPAMA (Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management) initiative, IUCN and the European Union are partnering once again for the long-term conservation of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific's natural heritage.

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The COLOURS project (Communities, Local Outcomes and Regional Science) is a five-year global initiative led by IUCN and partners to support biodiversity conservation in the Caribbean and Pacific regions. It focuses on three key areas:

  1. Biodiversity Centres of Excellence (CoEs): These centres, based in the Caribbean and Pacific, build on the BIOPAMA legacy to strengthen regional biodiversity knowledge, support informed decision-making, and promote data sharing. They also offer tools and training to policy-makers, scientists, and conservationists to improve protected area management and biodiversity outcomes.

  2. Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IP & LCs): The project promotes the recognition of Indigenous and community rights in conservation. It works with national and regional partners to strengthen legal frameworks, enhance participation in policy-making, and share traditional knowledge—ensuring equitable and rights-based conservation.

  3. Nature Positive Outcomes: COLOURS will develop and test practical tools to measure biodiversity improvements (like species recovery or ecosystem health), especially in the Global South. These tools will help businesses and governments track progress and boost accountability for biodiversity goals.

Together, COLOURS aims to ensure conservation is inclusive, data-driven, and aligned with global biodiversity targets, particularly the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

 

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Charlie Tokeley
Supporting data-informed decision-making

The COLOURS project will establish and strengthen two Biodiversity Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in the Caribbean and Pacific regions. Building on the BIOPAMA legacy, these CoEs will become regional hubs for biodiversity knowledge, supporting better decision-making and conservation outcomes. In the Caribbean, the CoE will be hosted by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), and in the Pacific, by SPREP.

The CoEs will provide up-to-date biodiversity data, develop decision-support tools, and offer training for conservation practitioners and policymakers. Activities include improving data systems, supporting regional collaboration, and strengthening reporting on protected areas and biodiversity goals. They will also help integrate biodiversity and climate action into policy, support protected area governance and effectiveness, and promote regional cooperation.

Ultimately, these Centres will help countries implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, improve biodiversity management, and support sustainable development across both regions.

Doing conservation the Rights way

The IPLC (Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities) component of the COLOURS project aims to strengthen the recognition of IPLC rights, governance systems, and contributions to biodiversity conservation. Working across five countries, the project will engage IPLCs through local partnerships, national dialogues, and regional advocacy.

Key activities include assessing the legal status of IPLC rights, supporting inclusive participation in conservation decision-making, and documenting biodiversity contributions through community knowledge. The project will help IPLCs influence national policies, promote gender equality and human rights-based approaches, and participate in global biodiversity processes like the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

It will also support capacity-building and knowledge exchange among IPLCs, ensuring their voices are represented from the local to the international level. By 2030, the component aims to contribute to more equitable and effective conservation systems, aligned with Targets 3, 21, and 22 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

 

Country profiles

Putting colour into conservation

The COLOURS project’s IPLC component supports Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in Papua New Guinea, Suriname, Tanzania, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It strengthens rights, governance, and biodiversity contributions through national dialogues, guidance, and advocacy - advancing equity and effective conservation aligned with global biodiversity goals, especially Targets 3, 21, and 22 of the GBF.

Moving towards Nature Positive

The Nature Positive component of the COLOURS project focuses on helping actors in the Global South - including businesses, governments, and communities - measure and demonstrate biodiversity gains at the local level. It responds to growing global commitments to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by providing practical tools and metrics to track progress.

The project will develop and test methods for assessing Nature Positive outcomes at species and ecosystem levels, in line with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). These methods will be piloted at selected sites, especially where private sector and community-led conservation initiatives are underway.

Key activities include producing guidance documents, building local capacity, and sharing lessons learned to promote wider uptake. By enabling transparent and consistent measurement of biodiversity improvements, this component supports informed decision-making, boosts accountability, and helps unlock finance for conservation, especially through emerging mechanisms like biodiversity credits and corporate sustainability commitments.