Posted on November, 05 2025

At the UN Climate COP30 in Belém, WWF is calling on governments, businesses and civil society to make forests a global priority and shift from promises to action. COP30 is a critical moment to show concerted action to halt and reverse deforestation, scale up restoration, advance Indigenous rights and unlock transformative finance for nature.  

The Amazon, the world’s largest tropical forest, is nearing an ecological tipping point mainly due to commodity-driven deforestation, illegal mining and land conversion. The Congo Basin, home to the planet’s second-largest tropical forest and the largest expanse of high-integrity forests, remains a net carbon sink but is increasingly vulnerable to rising deforestation rates. These biomes are global climate lifelines, critical to stabilizing the climate, preserving biodiversity, and supporting Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Tropical forests in Southeast Asia and the Pacific – stretching across countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands – are among the most biodiverse on Earth, yet face intense pressure from commercial agriculture, logging, infrastructure expansion, and extractive industries. 

Despite a global commitment to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030, the world is drastically off track – 6.7 million hectares of primary tropical forest were lost in 2024 alone, and fewer than half of national climate plans include forest targets. WWF urges parties at COP30 to deliver an ambitious Nature Package built on three pillars: political leadership, including outcomes from the Leaders’ Summit and negotiations on forests; financial ambition, with a successful launch of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF); and implementation, through bold actions and outcomes under the COP Presidency’s Action Agenda as well as on deforestation- and conversion-free supply chains and ecosystem restoration as key delivery mechanisms toward 2030. 

WWF’s expectations for COP30 on forests  

Successful launch of the TFFF 

The TFFF, a presidential initiative led by Brazil and set to launch at the COP30 Leaders’ Summit , represents the most ambitious forest finance mechanism ever proposed. With an ambitious goal of mobilizing $125 billion through blended finance, the TFFF offers long-term, performance-based payments to tropical forest countries for keeping their forests standing.  

It has the potential to become the largest source of international financing for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, directing at least 20% of payments to them. WWF calls on governments and private investors to step forward with bold investments in the TFFF. Tropical forest countries, which have historically been grossly underpaid for the global services their forests provide, can show support through the TFFF Launch Declaration. Crucially, Indigenous Peoples and local communities must have a formal role in TFFF’s governance and receive direct funding, recognizing their frontline role in forest stewardship.

COP30 is not the finish line for TFFF – it is the starting point for transformative forest finance. WWF urges continued engagement to strengthen the TFFF’s mechanisms, uphold environmental and social integrity, and ensure this initiative becomes a gamechanger for forests, climate, and communities. 

Establishment of a Work Programme on climate and nature 

WWF calls on parties to close the implementation gap for nature-related climate action. The integration of climate and nature must be at the heart of national mitigation and adaptation strategies, with clear alignment to national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs). 

Halting and reversing deforestation by 2030 is one of the most powerful ways to deliver on the synergies between climate mitigation and adaptation. To support this, WWF is calling for the establishment of a dedicated work programme under the UNFCCC/Paris Agreement negotiations. This initiative would build on the legacy of the COP28 outcomes and operationalize commitments to conserve ecosystems and halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. It would also ensure alignment with the Global Biodiversity Framework, as mandated by the Global Stocktake, with a strong focus on implementing national plans. 

This proposed workstream should connect national efforts to the nature-related Action Agenda and the pledges and initiatives led by the COP Presidencies. It would serve as a dialogue platform with a lifespan of 3-5 years, aimed at delivering actionable, country-driven plans. 

WWF recommends that this work programme is an outcome of the synergies discussion under the international cooperation agenda item, or as a recommendation from a Presidential Roundtable. Its first deliverable should be a concrete action plan to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. 

Enhanced forest targets and measures in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) 

There is no viable pathway to deliver the Paris Agreement and global climate goals without ambitious action on forests. But forest ambition remains critically low in NDCs 3.0 and is not aligned with the first Global Stocktake mandate on halting deforestation by 2030. 

An assessment of 79 Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) and 39 NDCs of countries with a forest cover of more than 100,000 hectares revealed that only one NDC explicitly commits to achieving zero deforestation by 2030 and only 14 NDCs set specific forest-related emission targets, which are critical for reducing emissions from forests and other land use. 

WWF calls on countries to strengthen forest ambition in their NDCs 3.0, informed by the Global Stocktake Decision paragraphs 33 and 34, which includes strong forest targets and measures that provide a pathway to halt and reverse forest loss.  

WWF proposes to spotlight forest ambition in NDCs 3.0, such as through an "NDC Forest Challenge" and encourages countries to set clear national targets to halt deforestation by 2030. 

Concrete action on deforestation- and conversion-free supply chains 

Despite numerous commitments and declarations in recent years to advance deforestation- and conversion-free (DCF) supply chains, large-scale ecosystem loss continues. Today, DCF markets are facing a decisive phase: while many companies are retreating from their previous commitments to eliminate deforestation and conversion from their operations, key consumer markets are moving in the opposite direction, driving increasing demand for DCF commodities.  

The opportunity to change the current trend is clear. Companies that embrace the shift toward DCF supply chains early will be better positioned to manage risks such as supply disruption, reputation and legal, gain efficiency, meet regulatory requirements, and capture market opportunities. Acting now means turning sustainability into a competitive advantage, ensuring long-term growth while contributing to climate and biodiversity goals and protecting human rights. 

Companies must step up, eliminate deforestation and ecosystem conversion from supply chains, ensure full traceability, and honor 2025 commitments that their supply chains don’t contribute to the destruction or degradation of forests and ecosystems, in line with the Accountability Framework. The credibility of climate action depends on responsible sourcing and transparent delivery. 

Recognition of Indigenous leadership   

COP30 must ensure that the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to safeguard, govern, and manage their lands and knowledge systems are fully recognized and supported, including through secure land tenure.  

Two major initiatives, the Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment (ILTC) and the Forest Tenure Funders Group (FTFG), are pivotal to achieving the global goal of halting and reversing forest loss by 2030. WWF calls for these initiatives to embed Indigenous priorities: recognition of territorial rights, support for community-led conservation, direct funding for self-governance and sustainable livelihoods, and transparent governance to ensure accountability and impact. 

Accelerate delivery of forests and ecosystem restoration  

Restoration offers a tangible pathway to reverse ecosystem loss, boost climate ambition, and mobilize finance for inclusive, long-term impact.  

At COP30, parties should promote restoration as a core pillar for synergies, linking climate, biodiversity, and land goals; include measurable restoration targets in NDCs 3.0, backed by finance and strong policies; showcase real examples of national and subnational restoration plans already delivering results; mobilize new finance and partnerships across governments, companies, and civil society; ensure Indigenous Peoples and local communities have access to finance and decision-making for fair, lasting impact. 

Increase climate finance for nature-based solutions  

Nature provides one-third of the solution to climate change yet receives only 3% of climate finance. The Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) offers a vital opportunity to channel finance from countries seeking to meet climate goals to those delivering high-integrity nature-based solutions.  

WWF calls on parties to ensure PACM includes nature-based solutions that deliver climate, biodiversity, and social benefits. Standards like the removals framework must reflect the specificities of nature-based approaches and avoid creating unnecessary barriers. WWF supports the use of Article 6 cooperative approaches –  including PACM and Article 6.2 – to finance mitigation, and urges the development of robust rules that uphold environmental integrity and promote sustainable development. 

WWF advocates for the inclusion of high-integrity nature-based solutions in PACM, grounded in science and evidence of feasibility. We support durable carbon removals to neutralize residual emissions and emphasize the urgent need to scale these solutions to limit warming to 1.5ºC. WWF also supports recognizing REDD+ under Article 6.8 as a non-market approach, while encouraging efforts to overcome technical challenges for its inclusion under market mechanisms. Nature must be part of the solution, and COP30 is the moment to secure its place in climate finance. 

Action for the Amazon

The Amazon is reaching a critical threshold. Every minute, an area approximately the size of six football fields is lost to deforestation. If this destruction continues, the largest tropical forest on Earth could collapse and reach a tipping point, disrupting the climate, biodiversity, and the lives of millions of people worldwide. But there is still time to act.

Environmental and scientific organizations have joined forces to launch Amazon League, a global campaign that seeks to mobilize citizens and world leaders to protect the Amazon region – and all tropical forests that are vital for climate stability and the well-being of our societies.

We urge all stakeholders to join and sign the petition, an urgent call for bold decisions to secure the future of life on Earth.

WWF’s engagement at COP30 

WWF is actively contributing to both the negotiations and the COP30 Presidency’s Action Agenda. The following key events will take place in the WWF Pavilion: 

17 Nov. – Forest Action Day. The event will bring together global leaders from businesses, governments, producer companies, Indigenous Peoples and local communities and civil society to address critical challenges and gaps in halting and ending deforestation and conversion. The events will cover a variety of DCF topics such as demand, production, policy and national agendas, finance, traceability and transparency and human rights. 

18 Nov. – Restoration Day. Co-hosted with the Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration (GPFLR), the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and Brazil’s Ministry of Environment, the events will bring together key actors to promote collaboration among governments, businesses, and communities and engage the private sector to align on Net Zero and supply chains with restoration goals.