Making forest value more visible: what FSC brought to London Climate Action Week

While another heat wave shattered historical June temperatures across Europe, London Climate Action Week convened climate leaders, businesses, civil society, and finance institutions with renewed urgency to accelerate global climate action. 

Across key moments – including two sessions at the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Global Roundtable, a high-level discussion at Chatham House, participation with Indigenous leaders, the film premiere of the documentary How to Live on Earth, and more – FSC’s presence at London Climate Action Week focused on closing the gap between what forests deliver for the climate and how they are valued, measured, and financed.

Three takeaways from London Climate Action Week 

1. Forests that do not generate income are vulnerable 

Forests provide critical benefits. They regulate water, protect soils, support biodiversity, and help buffer communities against climate impacts such as floods and storms. Nature as a whole underpins more than half of global GDP. 

Yet these benefits are difficult to provide an ROI to those who own and manage forests. “Forests that don't generate a return – an income to forest owners and managers – are vulnerable forests,” highlighted FSC Director General Subhra Bhattacharjee in her keynote address at the UNEP FI Global Roundtable, joining over 2,500 finance professionals to explore how the financial sector builds resilience against climate change, nature loss, and sustainability-driven risk. 

When standing forests bring no economic return, they are more likely to be cleared. This remains a major driver of deforestation, with nearly 11 million hectares lost each year. At the same time, forests receive less than 2% of global climate finance. 

Certification can address this by diversifying incomes, giving forest owners a choice between timber, non-timber forest products, and payment for ecosystem services. 

2. Better data can make forest risks more visible 

Discussions at the UNEP FI Global Roundtable showed that forest-related risks are no longer abstract. They are already affecting everyday life through rising food and energy prices, pressure on insurance systems, and broader economic instability. 

The challenge is to make forest-related risks and the benefits of responsible forest management more visible through reliable data, verification, and transparency. 

This is where forest certification plays an important role. By providing credible data, verification, and traceability, these services help make forest value visible and support more diversified sources of income, from timber and non-timber products to ecosystem services. Better information helps financial and policy decisions reflect the true value of forests. 

In Reset Connect London’s panel, FSC UK Forest & Ecosystem Services Officer Heewon Kang connected with businesses, investors, policymakers, and sustainability professionals to raise the visibility of Verified Impact as a science-based, third-party verified framework enabling forest managers, project developers, investors and businesses to access high quality, trusted data from FSC certified forests. 

At the Nature4Climate Nature Hub, FSC International Stakeholder Relations Director Anand Punja joined discussions on the private sector’s role to end deforestation. 

A joint FSC and GlobeScan session on consumer behaviour explored what it takes to close the gap between concern and action. The session pointed to trust as a central issue: consumers want sustainability and environmental claims to be labelled by an independent organization. Sharon London, FSC Partnerships Director, highlighted that labels and certification schemes remain some of the most practical tools for translating consumer intent into purchasing decisions. Using consumer data from GlobeScan as a conversation starter, the panelists also included representatives from Climate Pledge Friendly at Amazon, Suzano, Marine Stewardship Council, and Rosie Teasdale, FSC UK Executive Director. 

The climate week also highlighted the need to connect storytelling with data. FSC participated in the premiere of How to Live on Earth, a documentary from Open Planet Studios narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch. It explores how nature supports our economies and daily lives and connects directly to FSC work on Verified Impact of ecosystem services. The event brought together Shyla Raghav, Chief Impact Officer at TIME; Dr Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands; Sebastian Troëng, Chief Executive Officer at Conservation International; Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, President of the Indigenous Women & Peoples Association of Chad; and Rayne van den Berg, Principal at NatCap+ and many more.

3. Finance is moving from observer to driver 

The conversations in London also showed a growing shift: financial institutions are no longer just observing sustainability challenges; they are beginning to influence solutions. Michele Gonzalez-Mendia, FSC Chief of Sustainable Finance & Partnerships, noted the mismatch between financial instruments and the reality on the ground during the Real Economy Engagement Forum. Alongside panelists from Schneider Electric, ING, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Danone and Tata Steel, she highlighted the need for businesses to transition to forest management practices that contribute to net zero transition strategies. 

Forest-dependent value chains are complex and fragmented and require financial instruments that meet their needs and operational realities. Investors and financial leaders are asking more questions, seeking reliable data, and looking for credible ways to support sustainable practices. This creates new opportunities, but also higher expectations for transparency and accountability, including from certification schemes. 

FSC’s contributions to the UNEP FI discussions focused on how to turn this interest into practical pathways for investment in responsible forest management, for instance by encouraging direct financing to reach forest stewards more effectively, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities who have cared for forests for generations. 

Minnie Degawan, FSC Indigenous Foundation Managing Director, emphasized the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in these conversations in a panel organized by Nia Tero on Indigenous Peoples' participation across the Rio Conventions. 

What comes next 

The conversations built during London Climate Action Week are already feeding into what comes next. 

The discussion hosted by Chatham House and NatureFinance Nature as Shock Absorber – can the bioeconomy provide the market architecture for growth, resilience and security? brought together leaders from finance, government, science, and industry to explore the systemic shift required to transition to a bioeconomy. Subhra Bhattacharjee joined the conversation with Anna Chilton, Global Nature Lead at ING Marco Serena, Chief Sustainable Impact Officer at PIDG, and James Irungu Mwangi, Co-Founder and CEO of Africa Climate Ventures, describing some of the safeguards needed to scale a sustainable bioeconomy and the role of responsible forest management in this transition. 

The week also pointed to growing efforts to better connect global action on climate, biodiversity, and land use, while highlighting the need for more coordinated approaches on issues such as food security. 

More broadly, FSC will continue to focus on making the impact of responsible forest management more measurable and verifiable, deepening engagement with financial institutions, and supporting partnerships that align economic incentives with forest conservation and restoration. 

London Climate Action Week showed that the value of forests is gaining attention, but real progress will depend on turning that recognition into systems that reward and support responsible forest management. In an increasingly complex and fragmented global context, this will require closer cooperation between finance, policy, and on-the-ground actors. 

In the long term, resilient forests depend not only on how they are managed on the ground, but also on systems recognizing and rewarding their value.