Looking ahead after COP 30

The 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 30) concluded on 22 November in Belém, Brazil with the ‘Mutirão text’ – an outcome document that reinforces global commitments for climate action. Negotiations fell short of delivering a consensus roadmap to halt and reverse deforestation but momentum rose to place nature and forests at the forefront of the global climate agenda.  

Despite heavy rain, flooding, heat, and an electrical fire, FSC joined over 50,000 participants from nearly 200 countries – world leaders, Indigenous communities, private sector representatives, and multi-lateral organizations – to advocate for the essential role of forests and forest stewards as climate solutions.   

FSC Brazil, as the host-country FSC network partner, played a crucial role in engaging Brazilian stakeholders, in particular the government as well as taking part in high-impact events, including contributions from Executive Director Elson Fernandes in panels on ecosystem services and sustainable construction. 

COP 30 was expected to be the ‘implementation COP’ with an ambitious Action Agenda – but work remains to move from ambition to measurable impact. 

What COP 30 delivered for forests  

Taking place in the heart of the Amazon, COP 30 underscored the importance of forests at the centre of climate and biodiversity solutions. While the final Mutirão text did not include a roadmap to halt and reverse deforestation, the Brazilian presidency committed to create roadmaps both for deforestation and fossil-fuels phase out to support implementation of these priorities identified in the COP negotiation process. Over 90 countries backed the idea of the deforestation roadmap, including 50 rainforest nations, signalling advanced consensus and paving the way for a possible binding agreement in the future. 

Brazil’s flagship Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) concluded COP 30 with US$6.5 billion in public finance committed, and global backing from 53 countries, hoping to attract additional private investment towards its US$10 billion goal. TFFF is an innovative blended public-private initiative that is designed to assign economic value to the ecosystem services of tropical forests.

“The fact that the TFFF allocates a minimum of 20% to Indigenous Peoples and local communities is another valuable step in recognizing their role as the best stewards of nature. Financing these stewards to manage forests for the outcomes they deliver must also be complemented with policy changes that help secure their land tenure rights,” said Anand Punja, FSC Director of Stakeholder Relations.

In addition, France and Gabon led the launch of the ‘Belem Call for the Forests of the Congo Basin’ initiative to protect the world’s second-largest rainforest and support Central African countries in ending deforestation by 2030. It aims to mobilize more than USD$2.5 billion and is supported by other EU nations.  

Indigenous leadership  

COP 30 underscored that Indigenous leadership is vital for forest health and climate resilience. Indigenous Peoples were deeply visible at COP 30, with over 3,000 Indigenous Peoples registered for the conference and a strong presence in discussions on finance, rights, governance, and land stewardship.  

Key outcomes for Indigenous communities included the renewed US$1.8 billion Forest and Land Tenure Pledge and the Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment to legally recognize and strengthen rights over 160 million hectares of Indigenous and community lands including 63 million in Brazil. On 17 November, the Brazilian government announced the demarcation of 10 new Indigenous lands.   

"FSC has become one of the first international mechanisms to recognize the rights of Indigenous Peoples as a mandatory criterion rather than a recommendation," said Olga Kostrova of Chulym People in Russia during a COP 30 side event.  

FSC embeds Indigenous leadership into its global governance and implementation with the Indigenous Foundation and Permanent Indigenous Peoples Committee, ensuring that decision-making on forest stewardship reflects the rights, knowledge, and priorities of the communities who safeguard forests.  

Private sector momentum  

The private sector demonstrated growing recognition that nature is a foundation for climate resilience and economic stability. Wood-based construction, linked directly to responsible forest management, was a prominent theme across various side events.  

“Brazil is deeply affected by deforestation, and addressing this issue is urgent to reduce the impacts of climate change on a global scale. In this context, the construction sector plays a key role, especially because professionals can guide the market toward more sustainable paths, such as purchasing certified wood that ensures traceability and transparency,” said Elson Fernandes at the Green Solutions Awards at COP 30. 

Sharon London, Partnerships Director at FSC Investments & Partnerships, highlighted another market in an interview with Nature 4 Climate: “FSC has worked with a lot of rubber smallholder growers, especially in Southeast Asia. These smallholders, by coming together, and working with groups like Pirelli Tyre, are able to get their natural product to market. And this is inspiring other businesses like Nike, Adidas, Birkenstock to join in the natural rubber world.” 

These examples reflect growing interest in sustainable forest products and the practical role FSC certification plays in supporting responsible supply chains that contribute to climate solutions. 

FSC’s increased visibility as a champion of forests and forest stewards 

Throughout COP 30, FSC organized and participated in key pavilions, such as the United Nations Forum on Forests and many influential panels and interviews to engage multisector stakeholders with the message: forests and forest stewards are central to climate solutions. 

Garo Batmanian, General Director of the Brazilian Forest Service, shared a similar message during FSC’s session on bioeconomy at the UN Forum on Forests: “The standing forest has value.”      

At the Official Opening of the Forest Pavilion, FSC Director General Subhra Bhattacharjee set the stage for collaborative action towards sustainable forest stewardship: “COP30 – the forest COP, the COP of Truth – needs the full power and the ingenuity of the private sector, of non-government actors, and of communities to complement public policy to achieve our shared goals. Certification of sustainable forest management practices can be a force multiplier in the presence of strong laws and policies.” 

At the World Climate and Biodiversity Summit at COP 30, she reflected on FSC’s governance and shared leadership. “Governance has an outsized impact on development outcomes. Strengthening it makes every other initiative more effective. And when the rights of forest stewards are formally recognized and embedded in institutions, outcomes become stronger and more sustainable. Indigenous Peoples, workers, and local communities are the original stewards of forests – empower them, and forests thrive,” she added.   

Among other key events, FSC also contributed to COP30’s flagship Restoration Day, where Director of Stakeholder Relations Anand Punja emphasized how high-integrity standards and strong governance can accelerate restoration finance and drive scalable impact.

What happens next  

COP 30 delivered important steps, but not the strong political backing needed to accelerate climate and biodiversity goals and end deforestation.  

“Real progress will depend on governments, businesses and communities working together within – and beyond – the UN process to reduce forest loss on the ground, and that is where we remain focused,” said Subhra Bhattacharjee.

The global community shifts it focus from the Amazon to Antalya, Turkey where COP 31 will take place under Australia’s presidency. The coming year will be critical to transform the roadmaps and commitments from COP 30 into tangible outcomes. FSC’s responsible forest management system offers a credible, practical framework to help achieve these goals, supporting forest stewards, strengthening sustainable forest supply chains, and restoring degraded forests.