By Abbas Nazil
BRICS leaders have endorsed the Tropical Forests Forever Fund, a Brazilian-led climate finance model aimed at providing predictable, performance-based payments to countries that conserve tropical forests.
The endorsement was announced during the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, where heads of state highlighted the initiative as a landmark step toward strengthening global forest protection and climate stability.
Scheduled for official launch at COP30 in November 2025 in Belem, Brazil, the fund seeks to expand global forest cover while supporting long-term environmental security, according to the 2025 Brazil BRICS Presidency.
The BRICS Leaders’ Framework Declaration on Climate Finance described the fund as an innovative blended finance mechanism capable of generating sustained financial flows for forest conservation.
Brazil’s Environment and Climate Change Minister, Marina Silva, said the Global South is developing a strategic tool that uses public sector funds to attract private investment at a ratio of one to four.
Unlike traditional climate finance models dependent on donations, the Tropical Forests Forever Fund operates as a revenue-generating investment mechanism that pays for measurable results and rewards countries for preserved forests rather than avoided deforestation.
The initiative ensures that Indigenous and traditional communities play a central role in decision-making, with at least 20 per cent of national payments dedicated to them in recognition of their stewardship of forest ecosystems.
Participating nations will receive payments according to the size of preserved tropical and subtropical moist forests, verified through satellite monitoring to ensure deforestation remains below agreed thresholds.
Penalties will be issued for degraded or cleared land, reinforcing accountability and long-term forest protection.