Together with partners around the world, Forest Trends pioneers innovative finance for conservation, promoting healthy forests, sustainable agriculture, clean water, robust climate action, biodiverse landscapes, and strong communities.
Our programs and initiatives publish timely research, bring together diverse actors, and apply these approaches to make a difference on the ground, often blazing trails for bold and far-reaching policies in the process.
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News From Ecosystem Marketplace
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New Global Study Maps Policy for Nature Credit Markets, Revealing Diverse Approaches Across Six Continents
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CommentaryFrom Crisis to Compromise: What Article 6.4’s Permanence Standard Means for Carbon Markets
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How Complementary Forest Finance Mechanisms Can Promote Tropical Forest Protection
Forest Trends protects critical ecosystems through creative environmental finance, markets, supply chains, and other incentive mechanisms. We build diverse coalitions with governments, local and indigenous communities, and business to ensure that all stakeholders are engaged and benefit from conservation.
Finding highlight ⓸ from our State of Climate and Conservation Finance for Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities Report: ![]()
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🟫 STRUCTURAL BARRIERS UNDERMINE ACCESS ![]()
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Reform is urgently needed to address the lack of funding reaching Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPs & LCs)—especially since these groups often face systemic discrimination, legal insecurity, bureaucratic grant processes, language and cultural barriers, and limited infrastructure. Asymmetries in power, resources, and information further constrain IPs’ and LCs’ ability to negotiate or implement projects independently.![]()
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Without meaningful reforms to increase direct funding, enforce rights, and enable self-determined climate action, both market and non-market approaches risk failing both people and the planet.![]()
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A new, equity-centered climate finance system must prioritize local control and Indigenous leadership, explicitly require revenue streams for people on the ground, and be grounded in transparency and accountability to effectively address the intertwined climate and biodiversity crises.![]()
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👉 Dive deeper into our analysis: www.forest-trends.org/publications/state-of-climate-and-conservation-finance-for-indigenous-peopl...
𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁: 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲—𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽![]()
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In our 2025 Impact Report, we explore how lessons from the past are shaping solutions for today’s wildfire crisis.![]()
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Wildfires are now the leading driver of forest loss worldwide. The answer lies not only in suppression, but in learning from Indigenous and local fire stewardship practices that keep landscapes healthier and communities safer.![]()
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Forest Trends is collaborating with the USDA Forest Service and local partners to shift the conversation—building public support for proactive forest management rooted in shared values. Read the full story: www.forest-trends.org/publications/forest-trends-impact-report-2025/#smokey
As illicit acts, illegal deforestation and related crimes in forest areas are difficult to monitor and great efforts are taken to conceal them. While it’s challenging to obtain a complete picture, Forest Trends estimates that nearly three-quarters (69%) of tropical forest loss driven by commercial agriculture was illegal, carried out in violation of national laws and regulations. This poses challenges for the private sector and other actors who want to assess the risk of illegal logging or illegal deforestation entering timber and forest risk agricultural commodity supply chains, and government agencies enforcing the growing number of national regulations designed to exclude illegal deforestation imports.![]()
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Forest Trends created the Illegal Deforestation and Associated Trade (IDAT) Risk website to aid Industry, governments, and other stakeholders who are looking for tools to better assess the risk that products linked to illegal deforestation enter global trade flows.![]()
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The website currently features an interactive map, our Illegal Logging and Associated Trade (ILAT) risk data tool, 23 timber legality dashboards, 6 forest-risk commodity dashboards and additional methodology notes and key resources. ![]()
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Explore here: www.forest-trends.org/idat/
𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘂 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲![]()
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Today we’re highlighting one of the most transformative stories in our 2025 Impact Report: how a decade of collaboration reshaped Peru’s approach to water security.![]()
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Over 15 years, Forest Trends worked with utilities, ministries, Indigenous communities, and researchers to embed nature-based solutions into Peru’s national policy. ![]()
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The impact has been significant:![]()
👉 A sevenfold increase in investment in nature for water security![]()
👉 49 of 50 utilities now finance watershed restoration![]()
👉 A national model showing how countries can scale nature-based solutions through trust and long-term partnership![]()
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This is systems change in action—rooted in shared purpose and patient collaboration. Read the full story in our Impact Report: www.forest-trends.org/publications/forest-trends-impact-report-2025/#peru
In 2023, Forest Trends surveyed nearly 3,000 people across the Western United States and uncovered insights that challenge long-held assumptions about the public’s attitudes toward forest health and wildfire mitigation.![]()
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We found that people deeply value healthy forests for their contributions to well-being, happiness, and local economies, and that these attitudes are remarkably consistent across the political spectrum. Yet while most passively support forest management and the work of public land managers, many are unsure how to actively contribute to large-scale forest restoration efforts.![]()
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That “missing link” is exactly what our multi-year partnership with the U.S. Forest Service aims to address: developing an overarching communication strategy and a locally customizable toolkit, grounded in strong evidence and built through input from forest health experts, local stakeholders, communities, and frontline workers. Together, we’re elevating local forest health champions and shaping a shared vision of a future where forests sustain thriving economies, public health, recreation, and quality of life.![]()
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Read more on our website at (www.forest-trends.org/wildfire-resilience/) or in our 2025 Impact Report (www.forest-trends.org/publications/forest-trends-impact-report-2025/).
Finding highlight ⓷ from our State of Climate and Conservation Finance for Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities Report: ![]()
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📉 A LACK OF REPORTING HINDERS UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR’S IMPACT ![]()
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There is currently limited reporting on how much climate and carbon finance actually reaches Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPs & LCs)—and the data that do exist are often difficult to interpret. ![]()
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In carbon markets, benefit sharing with IPs & LCs is not publicly reported. Without clear requirements for transparency, it’s unlikely that the Voluntary Carbon Market performs any better than traditional donor funding in delivering benefits to people on the ground. The lack of visibility makes accountability around benefit sharing virtually impossible. ![]()
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The same is true for non-market approaches (NMAs). Here too, weak reporting mechanisms make it difficult to assess how much climate finance is reaching IPs & LCs. For instance, the UN’s Article 6.8 online portal currently lists no NMA projects implemented on the ground. ![]()
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Without significant improvements in transparency—and, ultimately, accountability—it will remain impossible to track private-sector funding flows or verify benefit-sharing claims. As a result, IPs & LCs risk continuing to bear the highest opportunity costs of climate and conservation projects, while receiving the least compensation, even as they face some of the greatest impacts of the climate crisis. ![]()
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See the full report here: www.forest-trends.org/publications/state-of-climate-and-conservation-finance-for-indigenous-peopl...
The LEAF Coalition (Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest Finance) and the TREES Standard (The REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard) of ART (Architecture for REDD+ Transactions) are two key mechanisms designed to drive large-scale forest conservation while ensuring environmental integrity and respect for human rights.![]()
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Launched in 2021, LEAF is a public-private partnership mobilizing over USD 1 billion to help national and subnational governments protect tropical forests and reduce deforestation. The TREES Standard, developed and operated by ART, has been adopted by the LEAF Coalition to provide robust certification of emission reductions achieved by participating jurisdictions—ensuring transparency, environmental safeguards, and accountability.![]()
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By channeling finance directly to jurisdictions that deliver verified emission reductions—while recognizing and upholding the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPs & LCs)—this results-based finance model ensures that funding is provided only after real, measurable progress in reducing deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.![]()
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In the fourth installment of our Understanding Climate Finance series, we explore how the LEAF Coalition and ART’s TREES Standard work, their role within jurisdictional REDD+ programs, and their importance in strengthening policies, monitoring systems, and benefit-sharing mechanisms. This brochure is intended to help IPs & LCs and other stakeholders understand these mechanisms, enabling more informed, equitable, and effective participation in large-scale climate finance programs.![]()
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Explore the series here: www.forest-trends.org/publications/understanding-climate-finance/
This Giving Tuesday, invest in solutions that last.![]()
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As we look back on 25 years of Forest Trends, one thing is clear: Real change happens when we listen deeply, work in true partnership, and stay focused on solutions that deliver impact year after year. Our 2025 Impact Report (bit.ly/FTImpactReport2025) highlights the results of that approach, from Indigenous-led conservation in the Amazon to national policy shifts in Peru. ![]()
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If these stories resonate with you, we hope you will consider supporting our work this Giving Tuesday. Your gift fuels trusted data, strong local partnerships, and the innovative models that help communities protect the forests and waters they rely on. ![]()
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Explore the impact you make possible and make a Giving Tuesday gift: www.forest-trends.org/donate/make-a-monthly-donation/
Welcome back to Meet the FT team! This month, meet Oly Bracho, Chief Financial Officer at Forest Trends. Oly brings 25+ years of global finance and operations leadership to our team. ![]()
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Since joining in 2019, Oly has transformed our finance function, introducing our first global Finance and Procurement policies manual, launching a cloud-based accounting system, and creating tools that give clearer insight into our financial health. ![]()
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Before Forest Trends, Oly served as Vice President of Finance and Operations at Women for Women International and Rare, leading financial and operational teams across multiple countries. She also held leadership roles at Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and World Wildlife Fund, consistently building strong systems to support effective fieldwork and institutional sustainability. She holds a master’s in international management and a BA in Economics from the University of Maryland. ![]()
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Fun fact about Oly: Oly grew up in San Cristóbal, in the beautiful Venezuelan Andes, where she fell in love with nature. Every weekend was an adventure, whether it was jumping in rivers, horseback riding, or hiking up mountains. When she’s not deep in spreadsheets or working to improve financial systems and processes, you’ll likely find her spending time with her family or cheering on one of her boys at a regatta!
𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁: 𝗙𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 ![]()
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This year, Forest Trends celebrates 25 years of turning bold ideas into measurable impact. What began as a radical belief that we could re-engineer markets to help protect nature has grown into a global movement aligning finance, policy, and community action. ![]()
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Our 2025 Impact Report, Field Guide to the Future, looks at where we’ve been, what we’ve built, and where the next 25 years must take us. It highlights the partnerships, data, and local leadership that are redefining how we value and sustain the natural world. ![]()
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We invite you to explore these stories of change—and join us in building the next generation of solutions for people and planet. ![]()
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Read the full report and make a gift today: www.forest-trends.org/publications/forest-trends-impact-report-2025
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Biodiversity
Nov 19, 2025
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