New Funding Facility Aims to Pay Nations for Keeping Tropical Forests Intact

The Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) was unveiled at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, as a response to the chronic under-funding of tropical forest protection. Current market prices favor clearing land for cattle, crops or plantations, despite the long-term climate, water and biodiversity services forests provide worldwide. TFFF will offer eligible tropical-forest countries predictable, long-term payments for each hectare of forest retained, with a baseline incentive of roughly US$400 per deforested hectare avoided.

The model is designed to work alongside initiatives like REDD+ and to attract both grant and concessional-loan financing without simply subsidising private risk. By aligning economic incentives with conservation, the facility seeks to mobilise the substantial public finance shortfall highlighted by a UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network brief.