Funding for forest conservation is vital to protect biodiversity, mitigate climate change, and sustain the livelihoods of millions who depend on forest ecosystems. Yet despite growing international awareness and earlier increases in environmental finance, current funding levels fall far short of what is needed to meet global conservation and climate goals such as those in the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The gap is particularly stark for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), who are among the most effective stewards of tropical forests but receive less than one percent of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for climate mitigation and adaptation. Even then, only a fraction of this support reaches their own organizations directly—undermining both the equity and effectiveness of conservation finance.
Against this backdrop, the Brazilian Government has launched the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), an emerging international financial mechanism aimed at ensuring stable, long-term support for tropical forest protection. The Facility proposes a performance-based model, offering sustained incentives to countries and communities that achieve verified conservation outcomes. Its focus extends beyond carbon storage to include biodiversity, ecosystem resilience, and the rights and participation of Indigenous and local peoples.
While the TFFF embodies a promising vision for large-scale, outcome-oriented financing, it also raises important questions. Civil society groups have cautioned against the risks of market-driven approaches and stressed the need for transparent governance and inclusive oversight. Ensuring that resources flow directly to forest communities—and that these communities have a decisive voice in shaping the Facility—will be key to its legitimacy and long-term success.
Our Project: A Coalition for Constructive Engagement of German NGOs
Germany has long been a driving force in global forest conservation, combining substantial national and international investments with policy leadership on forest conservation, restoration, and climate–biodiversity integration. Through initiatives such as the Amazon Fund, the Central African Forest Initiative, and bilateral cooperation programs, Germany has consistently ranked among the world’s top contributors to forest protection and landscape restoration.
However, recent political and fiscal developments suggest a potential shift. Proposed reductions in development cooperation budgets—partly driven by broader economic pressures and domestic spending priorities—raise concerns about future support for forest conservation. A contraction in Germany’s commitments would not only affect partner countries that rely on long-term collaboration but could also weaken the global momentum needed to meet climate and biodiversity goals.
In response to the changing political environment surrounding forest conservation finance and growing international discussion around the TFFF, OroVerde, with the support of the Rainforest Foundation Norway, has established a coalition of German NGOs to coordinate civil society's engagement in Germany about the financing of tropical rainforest protection, with a specific focus on the new TFFF proposed by Brazil. The coalition brings together German NGOs and networks engaged in forest conservation, climate, biodiversity, and international cooperation to create a shared platform for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and coordinated advocacy toward the German government.
Through this coalition, we aim to:
Facilitate informed and inclusive debate on the TFFF’s design, governance, and implications for large-scale forest finance globally.
Develop joint civil society positions that combine support for innovative, long-term forest finance with clear demands for robust social, environmental, and human rights safeguards.
Engage German policymakers and development institutions to ensure that any national contribution to the TFFF upholds the highest standards of accountability, transparency, and environmental integrity.
Emphasize the principle of additionality: any potential German funding for the TFFF must consist of new and supplementary resources, not diverted from existing international climate and biodiversity finance commitments, to maintain both credibility and genuine impact.
By coordinating German civil society efforts, this initiative seeks not only to influence Germany’s potential role in the TFFF but also to contribute to a broader conversation about fair and effective models for financing forest protection worldwide.
Photo Credits: Svenja Schäfer
