Biodiversity commitments are now standard language across multilateral development banks. Nearly every major institution has aligned itself with international frameworks such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and published policies reflecting that alignment. What's harder to assess is whether those commitments shape how individual projects actually get designed, screened, and financed particularly in a sector like transporter, where infrastructure decisions can have lasting effects on landscapes and ecosystems.

Sinfranova was engaged by WWF-US to conduct a baseline study addressing exactly that question, focused on four institutions as active across Latin America and the Caribbean and parts of Europe: the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), IDB Invest, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and CAF. WWS sought and independent, evidence-based assessment of how far each bank’s biodiversity commitments extend beyond policy language and into the operational decisions that shape transport financing.

These institutions collectively finance a significant share of transport infrastructure in the region, and each has made public commitments to biodiversity protection and alignment with international frameworks such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. WWF sought an independent, evidence-based assessment of how far those commitments actually extend into transport project design, screening, and implementation.

Sinfranova conducted a comprehensive review of each institution's environmental and social policies, biodiversity strategies, transport sector frameworks, project screening tools, and accountability mechanisms. This was complemented by direct stakeholder consultations, including a session with EBRD's environmental and social team, providing additional insight beyond what public documentation alone could offer.

Despite these differences, a consistent pattern emerged across all four institutions: biodiversity commitments are well established at the policy level, but the operational infrastructure needed to apply them systematically in transport projects, including sector-specific guidance, shared technical references, and post-construction monitoring, remains uneven.

The study concluded with a set of prioritized recommendations and a 2030 roadmap for WWF and its partners, outlining concrete opportunities to help these institutions translate policy commitment into consistent practice across their transport financing.