Civil society submits letter to COP30 presidency with proposals to finance the Amazônia protection

The document proposes a global action plan to increase climate finance for the conservation, restoration, and sustainable development of the world’s largest tropical forest

With just over four months until COP30, a coalition of civil society organizations, research centers, scientists, and community leaders has presented a set of recommendations to the COP30 Presidency. Their goal is to scale up financing for nature-based solutions focused on the Amazônia. The document, titled Scaling up big finance for nature-based solutions to protect the Amazônia: a roadmap for action, highlights the upcoming Conference in Belém as a critical turning point to embed tropical forests at the heart of the global climate and economic agenda.

"I welcome this initiative greatly. It helps the world understand the importance of the Amazônia and emphasizes the urgent need for action on three fronts: ending deforestation, advancing conservation, and scaling up restoration," said COP30 President Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago. "The document we received is an important contribution to promoting a radical shift in how we see and care for the Amazônia. The biome is a solution, not a problem."

During the presentation of the document, climatologist Dr. Carlos Nobre pointed out that the Amazônia is one of the so-called tipping points on the planet - regions at risk of reaching the point of no return and thus losing their natural capacity for regeneration. “But I'm optimistic, excited about COP30 because there are very positive solutions being discussed,” he said. Dr. Nobre also celebrated the fact that COP30 will be the first climate conference to have a pavilion entirely dedicated to science.

The document delivered today to the COP30 presidency highlights the importance of tangible proposals for forest protection, such as the creation of the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), an innovative, large-scale, continuous financing mechanism for tropical forests, which is expected to be announced during the conference in Belém.

COP30's special envoy for civil society, André Guimarães, stressed that the TFFF could leverage a structural transformation by mobilizing USD 5 billion a year, with around USD 2 billion going to the Amazônia. "Let's remember that the Amazônia irrigates 90% of Brazilian agriculture. The forest is fundamental for everyone," he said.

The document delivered today to the COP30 Presidency is the result of a mobilization led by organizations such as A Concertation for the Amazônia, Conservation International, Rainforest Trust, The Field Museum, IPAM, Science Panel for the Amazon, among others.

English version: Trad. Bárbara Menezes
Proofreading by Enrique Villamil