Empowering communities, transforming conservation.
Moananui Sanctuary is an independent, Indigenous-led organization. We are acutely aware of the deep, systemic inequities faced by Indigenous communities who stand on the frontlines of the climate and biodiversity crises. 
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The Inequity of Climate Finance​
Despite protecting the vast majority of the world's remaining biodiversity, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) are structurally bypassed by traditional funding models.
 

• Less than one percent of global climate finance reaches these frontline communities directly.
   

• A recent assessment of a historic $1.7 billion global climate pledge revealed that only 2.1% of the disbursed funding went directly to Indigenous and local community organizations.

 

​By contrast, legacy "Big International NGOs" (BINGOs) consistently absorb the lion's share of conservation funding. Recent financial data highlights the immense scale of these organizations, with The Nature Conservancy generating over $1.16 billion in annual revenue, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) over $372 million, the Wildlife Conservation Society over $345 million, and Conservation International over $235 million. 

 

While we acknowledge and wholly support the important, large-scale environmental work undertaken by these legacy organizations, our core mission requires a radically different approach. We intentionally choose not to partner with legacy BINGOs. Our mandate is to directly empower IPLCs, eliminate systemic intermediaries, and guarantee that decision-making and resources remain firmly in the hands of the people who have safeguarded the Moananui for millennia.

Who We Partner With

To achieve this, we have built a bespoke, agile network of aligned allies. We actively partner with:
 

• ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) leaders and impact financiers who are committed to high-integrity, equitable nature-positive conservation projects and nature markets.
   

• Economic, legal, and scientific experts who provide world-class technical support to our grassroots initiatives.
   

This collaborative model ensures that our communities are backed by top-tier global expertise, but strictly on our own terms. Every partnership and engagement is governed by traditional cultural protocols, ensuring that Indigenous equity and sovereignty are upheld at every level of operation.