Brazil proposes global forest conservation fund at COP28

Brazil on Friday unveiled a proposal at the COP28 climate summit to set up a global fund to finance forest conservation that it hopes can raise $250 billion
from sovereign wealth funds and other investors, including the oil industry.
The proposal, presented at a panel during the meeting in Dubai, provides for funding to 80 countries that have tropical forests to help maintain their trees, with annual payments based on the hectares conserved or restored.
The Brazilian government said the proposal, called “Tropical Forests Forever,” aims to fill a gap that currently exists in financing mechanisms that mostly focus on payments for carbon capture or environmental services.
“There is an urgent need for large-scale financial resources to protect tropical forests, their biodiversity and the people who live in, protect and depend on these forests,” according to the presentation of the initiative.
The plan unveiled by Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva and Finance Minister Fernando Haddad calls for the creation of an innovative global instrument to remunerate the maintenance and restoration of tropical forests.