The Brazilian-led initiative has the chance to allow forests to have more value protected than destroyed, but it needs to avoid mistakes of past mechanisms.
São Paulo, Brazil, The Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), a new multilateral initiative led by the Brazilian government, could be a breakthrough in forest protection, but key governance aspects of the Facility must be addressed in the design of the fund before it is launched, according to Greenpeace International's analysis. If key issues are addressed, the TFFF, set to be launched in November at COP30, is a mechanism that could deliver significant climate and biodiversity benefits for forests.
Syahrul Fitra, Forest Solutions Global Co-Project Lead, Greenpeace Indonesia said: "Currently, a forest is seen as more valuable if it is destroyed, to make way for gold, oil, palm plantations, or meat and dairy production. 2025 is a crucial moment for climate and biodiversity protection, and the Tropical Forests Forever Facility has the chance to succeed where other initiatives have failed in the past, but they have to get it right. The Brazilian government has the chance to be the climate leader it aspires to be, but there are key issues in the design of the TFFF that must be addressed to prevent it from falling into the same traps as initiatives in the past."
Greenpeace International's new paper highlights three main points in the TFFF, and its investment arm, the Tropical Forests Investment Fund, that must be taken into consideration in the next phase of the design of the initiative: clear and comprehensive criteria to guide the investment of funds in climate and sustainability-related projects to prevent further drive of the intersecting crises of biodiversity loss and climate breakdown, or fuel armed conflicts; prioritise the rights and self-determination of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPs & LCs), with a decentralised decision-making process regarding fund usage, with the 20% allocation for direct access finance mechanisms for IPs & LCs being a minimum; and a cutting-edge approach to monitoring deforestation and forest degradation, ensuring that TFFF eligible forest areas aren't further degraded by destructive industries.
Rômulo Batista, Forest Solution Global Co-Project Lead, Greenpeace Brazil said: "Indigenous Peoples and local communities are at the forefront of forest conservation, and have been fighting for their rights for generations. The Tropical Forests Forever Facility must ensure they have direct access to funding — with 20% of the fund being a floor, not a ceiling. IPs & LCs also must have strong representation in governance and decision-making structures related to the distribution of forest payments, in order to respect their rights, cultures and support their self-determination."
Greenpeace International's position paper references the most recent TFFF/TFIF concept note (CN 2.0). Civil society is raising concerns that stakeholder participation efforts might be coming in too late, a lack of transparency in the creation of the fund, and a lack of genuine stakeholder engagement with interested civil society and Indigenous Peoples. While the paper does not address such challenges, the TFFF must take a more comprehensive, improved and inclusive approach to stakeholder participation at a global, regional, national and local level.
