New Delhi, May 19 -- Money meant to protect forests, oceans and wildlife is not reaching the people who live closest to nature, a new study has found.

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), a United Kingdom-based policy research organisation, along with partners in five countries, conducted a detailed analysis of biodiversity funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

GEF is one of the largest international funds for nature and climate action. It is playing a key role in delivering on the $200 billion annual biodiversity finance goal under Target 19 of Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).

Their study analysed data from GEF-funded projects and interviews from community groups in ...