Over the past three decades, the Global Environment Facility has invested nearly $6 billion in projects and programs to conserve and protect forests globally. Preserving forests – especially tropical primary forests – and restoring degraded forests are the most efficient ways to store and sequester carbon, protect biodiversity, and secure the livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and forest-dependent communities at the same time. Importantly, preserving and restoring degraded forests are also conditions to meet the globally agreed objectives of the Rio Conventions and the United Nations Forum on Forests.
Promoting integrated, whole-of-economy, and systemic approaches, the GEF supports developing countries in their pathways toward sustainable development, balancing the conservation of nature that sustains life on earth and the equitable prosperity needed for all.
The continuous alarming forest loss, exacerbated by increasing wildfires fueled by climate change, is a tremendous and complex challenge. With its sustained experience and global mandates, the GEF partnership is uniquely positioned to reverse this destructive trend of forest loss. In so doing, it can work with all engaged countries and partners to build a world where humans and nature can live in harmony.