Post by COP30 Brazil

At the #SB64 in Bonn, the COP30 Presidency convened Parties, international organizations, Indigenous Peoples, civil society, and the private sector to discuss the emerging Roadmap on Halting and Reversing Deforestation and Forest Degradation by 2030, an action-oriented contribution to implementing paragraphs 33 and 34 of the first Global Stocktake. The event presented the COP30 proposal for the Roadmap structure emerging from consultations, providing an opportunity to gather feedback ahead of its launch. One message resonated throughout: the question is no longer whether forests matter, but how to accelerate implementation at the scale and speed the climate crisis demands. Participants from Switzerland, Guyana, Honduras, the EU, Austria, France, Sweden, and Germany stressed the need to build on existing frameworks—including #REDD+, Article 5 of the Paris Agreement, the Forest and Climate Leaders' Partnership (FCLP), UN-REDD, and the UN Forum on Forests—while filling gaps, strengthening coherence, and translating commitments into measurable action. Guyana shared its experience as a High Forest, Low Deforestation country, demonstrating how long-term forest conservation, Indigenous leadership, and jurisdictional JREDD+ finance can generate economic opportunities while maintaining one of the world’s lowest deforestation rates. Austria called for greater focus on agricultural expansion and other structural drivers of deforestation, France emphasized ecosystem services and stronger synergies across the three Rio Conventions, and Sweden underscored the importance of common terminology and shared standards. Non-Party stakeholders like WWF-Brasil highlighted implementation, fiscal reform, governance, and equity; Conservation International argued the Roadmap should scale proven solutions rather than reinvent existing efforts; IUCN called for stronger protection of primary forests, restoration, direct finance for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, and robust monitoring; and Wildlife Conservation Society emphasized direct access to finance and better alignment across forest initiatives. Participants identified key priorities for the Roadmap: - building action on existing frameworks rather than suggesting parallel processes; - strengthening cooperation among governments, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, businesses, and civil society; - addressing diverse drivers of deforestation through biome- and country-specific strategies; - mobilizing predictable long-term finance for conservation, restoration, and sustainable production; - translating Global Stocktake outcomes into coordinated implementation. The consultations also highlighted broad consensus that, while pathways will vary across regions and ecosystems, the Roadmap should serve as a platform for coordination, learning, and implementation, aligning policies, finance, markets, and partnerships around shared forest goals. Climate Policy Initiative/PUC-Rio #Forests #ClimateAction