It is the time of the forest

Research Fellow Mónica Trujillo argues that forests and biodiversity must become a cornerstone of global climate action, noting that current international climate finance—at only 4% for forests—does not reflect their importance. The author calls for a shift toward measurable goals, binding actions, and a transformation of consumption patterns in high-income countries to support a sustainable bioeconomy.

• Forests and biodiversity serve as natural insurance against climate change, yet land-use change—specifically deforestation and forest degradation—is the primary cause of biodiversity loss and the largest source of greenhouse-gas emissions in tropical regions, releasing billions of tonnes of CO₂ annually.
• Ecosystem protection and restoration could provide up to one-third of the cost-effective mitigation required by 2030, but this is not reflected in funding, as only 4% of international climate finance is directed toward forests.
• High-income countries need to transform consumption patterns and corporate sourcing to support systemic change, which includes reforming trade incentives and opening markets for biodiversity-friendly products.
• The author advocates for a transition from voluntary and vague commitments to measurable goals and binding actions, citing the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF)—an initiative led by Brazil and other tropical countries—as a mechanism to pay for standing forest areas.

APA

Trujillo, M. (2025). It is the time of the forest. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/it-is-the-time-of-the-forest/

Chicago

Trujillo, Mónica. It is the time of the forest. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2025. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/it-is-the-time-of-the-forest/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Trujillo |first1=Mónica |title=It is the time of the forest |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2 December 2025 |url=https://www.sei.org/perspectives/it-is-the-time-of-the-forest/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{trujillo2025time, author = {Trujillo, Mónica}, title = {{It is the time of the forest}}, publisher = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://www.sei.org/perspectives/it-is-the-time-of-the-forest/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }