Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF): A New Era for Forest Protection Through the Lens of COP30

As the world gathers in Belém for COP30, the global climate community turns its focus to one of the most decisive frontiers of climate action: the protection of tropical forests. Now more than ever, forests are recognized not only as ecosystems but as climate stabilizers, carbon sinks, biodiversity hotspots, and pillars of Indigenous livelihoods. Within this context, the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), introduced by the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has emerged as one of the most groundbreaking proposals shaping negotiations and ambition at COP30.

The Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), launched at COP30 in Belém, is an initiative by the Brazilian government to provide long-term, results-based financing for tropical forest conservation. It operates as an investment fund, aiming to raise billions of dollars to incentivize developing nations to protect their forests by making standing forests financially valuable. However, critics argue that while the initiative is a positive step, it requires stronger focus on addressing the root causes of deforestation and ensuring that Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities receive a fair and substantial share of the benefits.

The TFFF represents a transformational approach to financing and governing the protection of the world’s tropical forests while empowering the communities who safeguard them. Through the lens of COP30 — the first COP hosted in the heart of the Amazon — the relevance and urgency of TFFF have never been greater.

1. Why TFFF Matters: The COP30 Backdrop

COP30 is being held in Belém, Brazil, a symbolic and strategic location in the Amazon. This setting reinforces three global realities:

The world is not on track to limit warming to 1.5°C

Deforestation, degradation, and land-use change remain major sources of emissions.

Tropical forests are approaching dangerous tipping points

Especially the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asian forests.

Current climate finance is insufficient, fragmented, and slow

Forests receive less than 3% of global climate finance — despite being home to the most effective natural climate solutions.

It is against this backdrop that the TFFF presents a bold new proposition.

2. What is the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF)?

The TFFF is a long-term, performance-based financing mechanism designed to provide predictable, scalable, and fair funding to countries and communities that protect tropical forests.

Its core pillars include:

✓ Permanent financing for forest conservation

A departure from short-term projects, the TFFF commits to multi-decade support.

✓ Payments tied to verified forest protection

Funding flows when countries successfully preserve forest cover and avoid deforestation.

✓ Benefit-sharing with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs)

Recognizing them as frontline guardians of global carbon sinks.

✓ A global coalition of supporters

Governments, philanthropies, and private-sector contributors.

✓ Strong governance and transparency frameworks

Ensuring credibility, trust, and accountability.

3. TFFF Through the Lens of COP30 Negotiations

At COP30, the TFFF aligns with several high-level themes and discussions:

a. Forests as Part of the 1.5°C Strategy

Countries are under pressure to revise and strengthen NDCs for 2035. Forest protection is now recognized as essential to closing the emissions gap.

b. Alignment with Article 6 and voluntary carbon markets

TFFF is designed to complement—not replace—carbon markets, offering countries a stable baseline of funding while avoiding the controversies of offsets.

c. Climate Justice and Equity

The facility prioritizes forest nations in the Global South, especially those historically underfunded and disproportionately affected by climate change.

d. Indigenous Leadership

COP30 highlights the importance of Indigenous stewardship.TFFF mandates that Indigenous communities receive direct benefits and representation in governance structures.

e. New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG)

As negotiations intensify around the next global finance goal (post-2025), TFFF offers a practical model for how forests can be embedded in the future climate finance architecture.

4. Why TFFF Stands Out Among Forest Initiatives

There have been many forest-protection funds and pledges in previous COPs, but TFFF distinguishes itself through:

Its permanence

Funding is recurring and long-term.

Its simplicity

Payment is linked to measuring forest cover — a clear and objective metric.

Its fairness

Countries that protect more, get more.

Its accountability

Verified monitoring systems ensure credibility (satellite data, independent auditors, transparent reporting).

Its alignment with national development

It supports climate action while enabling economic growth, rural livelihoods, and sustainable land-use models.

5. What TFFF Could Mean for Forest Nations

For Brazil and the Amazon Region

A major boost for ongoing forest protection and the fight against illegal deforestation.

For the Congo Basin

Stable funding for the world’s second-largest tropical forest, long overlooked despite its global importance.

For Ghana and West African Countries

Support for reforestation, cocoa-driven deforestation management, community-based forest governance, and REDD+ implementation.

For Southeast Asia

An opportunity to tackle both deforestation and peatland degradation, two critical emissions sources.

6. Challenges and Questions at COP30

While TFFF is promising, several issues are being debated at COP30:

▪ How will the financing pool be capitalized at scale?

(Philanthropy? Wealthy nations? Innovative taxes?)

▪ How will benefits be shared fairly with Indigenous communities?

▪ How will forest cover be measured and verified?

▪ How will sovereignty concerns be respected?

▪ How will TFFF align with existing mechanisms like GCF, REDD+, and Article 6?

These discussions are shaping the final contours of the Facility.

7. The Promise of TFFF in a Decisive Decade

As COP30 is a pivotal moment before 2030, the TFFF offers a framework that could redefine global forest protection.

The Facility represents:

• A shift from short-term projects to permanent solutions

• A recognition of Indigenous leadership and rights

• A climate finance model centered on results and fairness

• A mechanism that keeps forests standing permanently

  
  

In a decade where the world must rapidly accelerate action, TFFF is seen as one of the few proposals capable of delivering transformational impact at speed and scale.

Conclusion:

A Turning Point for Forest Protection

Through the lens of COP30, the Tropical Forests Forever Facility is more than a proposal — it is a signal of a new era where protecting forests is understood as protecting the climate system itself. If successfully launched and supported, the TFFF could become one of the most important legacies of COP30, reshaping climate finance and securing the future of the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asian forests — forever.

Cedric Dzelu

Technical Director

Office of the Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability of Ghana