The Context
About a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions are the result of deforestation, agriculture and other land uses. Rising populations, incomes and demand for food, fuel and fibre will continue to put forests under pressure.
At the same time, international pledges such as the New York Declaration on Forests and multinational companies’ commitments to sustainable supply chains present a unique opportunity to halt deforestation and reduce land degradation.
The Challenge
Currently, markets fail to attach a value to the social and environmental benefits that forests provide. As a result, sustainable investments that do factor in these benefits can be hard to realise. More often than not, the short-term economic gains from degrading or converting forests are greater than those from leaving them standing.
New approaches are needed, which engage all key actors – private, public and people.
Our Response
Partnerships for Forests catalyses investments in which the private sector, public sector and communities can achieve shared value from sustainable forests and sustainable land use.
By creating market-ready ‘Forest Partnerships’ that offer an attractive balance of risks and benefits for the private sector, public sector and communities, the programme aims to mobilise significant investment, principally from the private sector.
The programme also supports demand side measures that strengthen demand for sustainable commodities, and activities to create the right enabling conditions for sustainable investment.
The eight-year programme is funded by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). It currently operates in Central, East and West Africa, South East Asia and Latin America.
