Forest Trends’ programmatic initiatives employ three fundamental approaches which have marked Forest Trends’ work since its founding. They are:

  • Providing transparent information on ecosystem values, finance, and markets through knowledge acquisition, analysis, and dissemination;
  • Convening diverse coalitions, partners, and communities of practice to promote environmental values and advance development of new markets and payment mechanisms;
  • Demonstrating successful tools, standards, and models of innovative finance for conservation.

Forest Trends carries out its work through eight initiatives, which pursue common overarching strategic focal areas laid out in the 2023-2030 Strategic Plan.

Our Initiatives

 
Biodiversity Initiative
Forest Trends’ Biodiversity Initiative works directly with companies, governments, banks and conservation organizations to help them improve the outcomes for biodiversity from public and private sector development projects.
 
Coastal and Marine Initiative
Forest Trends’ Coastal and Marine Initiative aims to protect marine ecosystem services by harnessing markets and private sector investment to complement conventional coastal and marine management methods.
 
Communities and Territorial Governance Initiative
Supporting indigenous and forest communities to thrive in their homelands is one of the most effective safe­guards against deforestation.
 
Ecosystem Marketplace
Ecosystem Marketplace is a leading source of knowledge on market-based approaches to sustainable environmental financing around the world.
 
Forest Policy, Trade, and Finance Initiative
The Forest Policy, Trade, and Finance (FPTF) initiative aims to promote policies which harness the power of market incentives for the legal, sustainable, and equitable trade in timber and other commodities harvested from forest landscapes.
 
Public-Private Finance Initiative
Forest Trends’ Public-Private Finance Initiative works with public and private sector partners to create innovative mechanisms that increase financial flows to forest conservation and low-deforestation agriculture in tropical forest countries.
 
Supply Change
Forest Trends’ Supply Change Initiative runs a comprehensive database on company commitments to reducing deforestation related to agricultural commodities.
 
Water Initiative
Forest Trends' Water Initiative designs, implements, and brings to scale effective investments in ecosystems that support clean, safe water for people and nature.