Enviro News Asia, Belém – Brazil pledged $1 billion to the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF) during a high-level meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New York on Tuesday, September 23. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva confirmed that his country will be the first to contribute to the innovative financing mechanism designed to conserve tropical forests.
The Fund is scheduled for official launch at the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) this November in Belém, Pará. Brazil has led the initiative since COP28 in Dubai and is now calling on partners to make substantial contributions.
More than 70 developing nations with tropical forests are expected to qualify for support under the TFFF. Lula explained that countries would receive up to $4 per hectare of preserved forest, with disbursements determined annually through satellite monitoring. To participate, member states must maintain deforestation below 0.5 percent and allocate at least 20 percent of resources to Indigenous peoples and traditional communities.
So far, Colombia, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, and Malaysia have joined Brazil in the initiative. Investor countries—including Germany, France, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates—are expected to contribute up to $25 billion in junior capital. This seed financing is projected to leverage an additional $100 billion from private investors, significantly boosting global conservation funding.
According to projections, the TFFF could generate $4 billion annually for environmental preservation—three times the amount currently invested worldwide in tropical forest protection through concessional finance. The mechanism prohibits investments in fossil fuels and prioritizes sustainable instruments in emerging economies.
Lula emphasized that the TFFF represents not only conservation but also a pathway toward social justice and a green economy. “Directing part of these resources to Indigenous peoples and local communities ensures support for those who have always cared for our forests,” he said. (*)
