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The guidelines outline the scope of the forest and land use result area, identifying key intervention areas such as forest restoration, sustainable management, deforestation-free supply chains, and REDD+. It defines the 'paradigm shift' required for sustainable development pathways and provides a framework for impact measurement using GCF's integrated results management framework. The document also lists indicative 'SAP-able' activities, such as blockchain for forest management and agroforestry, while explicitly excluding activities that cause resettlement or use exotic species that harm native biodiversity.

The report analyzes social protection as a tool for climate resilience, highlighting its ability to provide shock-responsive support, facilitate sustainable natural resource management, and cushion the impacts of low-carbon transitions. It identifies a gap in long-term structural adaptation and notes that while multilateral climate funds are increasingly engaging with social protection, integration remains fragmented and often prioritizes project-based interventions over systemic strengthening.

The project aims to benefit approximately 182,850 people in Karnali Province, Nepal, by restoring 1,000 hectares of degraded forests and bringing 10,000 hectares under sustainable management. It focuses on reducing vulnerability to landslides, droughts, and floods while promoting climate-smart livelihoods through non-timber forest product (NTFP) micro-enterprises and alternative energy solutions. The initiative includes technical support for 30 municipalities to develop Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPAs) and the establishment of early warning systems in six high-risk municipalities.

The 'Living Indus' project seeks USD 25 million in GCF grants to implement a programmatic framework for ecological restoration in Pakistan. The initiative focuses on two pillars: governance, which includes the creation of a 'Living Indus Act' and provincial masterplans, and investment, targeting the Sindh Province. Planned interventions include restoring mangrove and riverine forests, rehabilitating wetlands, and promoting climate-smart agriculture such as biosaline farming. The project aims to benefit 1.18 million direct beneficiaries and remove approximately 2.9 million tCO2eq through carbon sequestration in restored forests.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has developed Performance Measurement Frameworks (PMFs) to quantify and qualify the impacts of its climate mitigation and adaptation investments. The frameworks utilize a combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators, including gender-disaggregated data, to track progress toward low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways. Mitigation metrics focus on CO2 equivalent reductions across energy, transport, buildings, and forestry, while adaptation metrics measure beneficiary reach, risk reduction, and the resilience of infrastructure and ecosystems.

The document outlines the role of forests in climate adaptation and mitigation, identifies strategic intervention areas such as forest restoration and 'zero-deforestation' supply chains, and defines the criteria for a 'paradigm shift' in land use. It provides a performance measurement framework with specific indicators for GCF-level impacts and project results, alongside a matrix of eligible and ineligible activities for the SAP.

The document outlines the technical requirements and strategic approach for GCF projects focusing on land use and forest resources via the Simplified Approval Process (SAP). It emphasizes the dual role of forests in climate adaptation and mitigation, highlighting the importance of carbon sequestration and ecosystem services. The guide identifies key intervention areas—including forest restoration, sustainable management of protected areas, deforestation-free supply chains, and REDD+—and provides a framework for measuring impact through specific quantitative and qualitative indicators. It argues for a 'paradigm shift' that decouples economic growth from forest consumption and encourages innovative private sector financing to overcome investment barriers in nature-based solutions.

The document outlines the indicators and reporting requirements for measuring the performance of REDD+ activities to trigger results-based payments from the Green Climate Fund. It specifies that emissions reductions and carbon stock increases are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2eq) across five specific REDD+ activities. Disbursement of payments is contingent upon compliance with UNFCCC decisions, including technical analysis of results, emission reference levels, safeguard summaries, national strategies, and forest monitoring systems.

The ocean and coastal ecosystems are critical for global biodiversity, food security, and carbon sequestration, but they face severe threats from climate change and pollution. Despite an estimated annual funding need of USD 175 billion to USD 459 billion to safeguard the ocean, only USD 11 billion has been invested via philanthropy and Official Development Assistance over the last decade. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) aims to close this gap by creating enabling environments, catalysing innovation, de-risking projects to mobilise private finance, and strengthening national financial institutions through tools like blue bonds and debt swaps. Current GCF initiatives include the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, targeting 17 countries with a USD 500 million project value, and the Blue Action Fund, focusing on coastal resilience in the Western Indian Ocean region.

The report examines the relationship between natural capital and human prosperity, arguing that current economic systems fail to accurately measure, value, and manage nature. It highlights that while human wealth has increased, renewable natural capital is being depleted due to a lack of appropriate price signals and a flawed assumption that nature is easily substitutable by man-made capital. The authors propose integrating natural capital into comprehensive national wealth accounts and using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for protecting critical natural capital. Key recommendations include establishing Natural Capital Committees, using non-market valuation techniques, and supporting R&D for technologies that reduce pressure on nature.

The New Manila International Airport, a US$15 billion project by San Miguel Corporation, has led to the displacement of approximately 700 families and the destruction of climate-critical mangrove forests in Manila Bay. The report highlights a lack of transparency in public consultations, alleging that the project encroaches on a 'strict protection zone' and disrupts the East Asian-Australasian Flyway for migratory birds. It further criticizes the involvement of Dutch company Royal Boskalis and the insurance provided by Atradius DSB, arguing that these entities failed to adhere to OECD guidelines and international sustainability standards. The document calls for stronger EU corporate accountability laws and independent investigations into the project's violations.

Global Witness is calling for COP30 to address the climate and human rights impacts of the 'transition minerals' boom. The organization argues that the extraction of copper, cobalt, lithium, and rare earths is currently causing deforestation and destroying carbon sinks, which undermines net-zero goals. They propose that the UNFCCC formally endorse the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Expert Advisory Group (HLEAG) to develop binding international guidelines for responsible sourcing, protect vital carbon-storage ecosystems as 'no-go zones', and ensure the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of Indigenous peoples.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) holds approximately 60% of the Congo Basin tropical forest, storing 30 billion tonnes of carbon, yet it faces one of the world's highest deforestation rates, losing over one million hectares of cover in 2023. Despite a 20-year moratorium on new logging concessions and a 2022 decree suspending 12 illegal concessions covering over 1.9 million hectares, illegal logging persists due to selective law enforcement and government complicity. Specifically, Chinese companies Booming Green and Wan Peng (via Congo King Baisheng Forestry Development) are accused of systematic illegalities and ignoring export quotas. The document advocates for a shift toward community-led forest management, noting that deforestation rates in community-managed areas are 23% lower than the national average and 46% lower than in industrial logging concessions.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) possesses approximately 60% of the Congo Basin rainforest, storing an estimated 27 to 30 billion tonnes of carbon. Despite this importance, the DRC experienced a loss of over one million hectares of vegetation cover in 2023. The document highlights a systemic failure to enforce forest laws, noting that a moratorium on new logging concessions has been in place for over 20 years yet illegal logging continues. Specifically, a January 2024 review of 82 logging permits resulted in 23 terminations, while only 53 received conditional approval. The text identifies Chinese companies, including Booming Green and Wan Peng (operating via Congo King Baisheng Forestry Development), as entities that allegedly obtain concessions through influence peddling and ignore export quotas. Furthermore, a April 2022 decree suspending 12 illegally granted concessions covering over 1,966,630 hectares remains unenforced, with satellite data showing continued activity in these areas. In contrast, the document notes that community-managed forests have a deforestation rate 23% lower than the national average and 46% lower than that of logging concessions, suggesting community forestry as a viable alternative for sustainable management.

An investigation by Global Witness, Der Spiegel, and Mediapart reveals that the Ngoki oil project in the Republic of the Congo is linked to the family of President Sassou-Nguesso and businessman Claude Wilfrid Etoka, whose bank accounts were closed by BNP Paribas due to corruption risks. The report argues that the project's environmental impact assessments are obsolete and fail to account for the presence of carbon-rich peatlands, which could store 1.34 gigatonnes of carbon in the Ngoki block alone. Furthermore, evidence suggests that the announced oil reserves of 359 million barrels may be economically unviable, as major firms like Shell and Total previously rejected the project based on seismic data.

Global Witness estimates that financial institutions in the EU, UK, US, and China generated $1.74 billion in weighted revenues from $157 billion in deals with 20 major agro-industrial companies linked to deforestation between 2016 and 2020. The report highlights a systemic failure of voluntary commitments, noting that major banks like JPMorgan, HSBC, and BNP Paribas continue to fund companies involved in illegal land conversion and human rights abuses in the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and Africa. It argues that these profits should be viewed as a 'forest debt' owed to affected communities and calls for mandatory government regulation to replace ineffective voluntary policies.

The document identifies industrial hemp as a sustainable alternative for construction materials in South Africa, specifically focusing on hempcrete and hemp insulation. It highlights Cape Town's potential as a hub for these materials, citing the completion of the world's tallest hemp-based building. While hemp offers significant carbon sequestration and energy efficiency benefits, the sector faces barriers including high costs due to imported components and a lack of awareness among developers and professionals.

The document explores the role of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae in converting organic waste into frass, a nutrient-rich excrement that serves as a bio-fertiliser. It argues that BSF frass can support regenerative horticulture by improving soil health and reducing the ecological impact of synthetic fertilisers. In South Africa, where fertiliser is heavily imported and food waste is significant, the brief identifies a potential market for frass production valued between R3.1 and R12.4 billion per year. However, growth is hindered by scaling challenges, low market awareness, and significant regulatory delays in product registration through the Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development.

The document argues that Black Soldier Fly (BSF) agriculture can transform organic waste liabilities into economic opportunities by producing high-value protein meal, oil, and frass. It highlights Cape Town as a global leader in BSF innovation and identifies key opportunities in waste management, livestock and pet food, and soil security to future-proof food supply chains against climate instability and geopolitical tensions.

The document highlights the funding gap for green small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa, noting that while the country requires significant annual investment to meet net zero and NDC goals, there is a low risk appetite for early-stage funding. It presents the FNF GreenPitch Challenge as a mechanism to source investment pipelines and support SMME investment readiness. As a specific example, it profiles BioAge, a 2023 pre-growth winner and agri-biotech startup producing the organic fertilizer Nitro-Gro, which aligns with sustainable agriculture market opportunities to improve soil health and crop resilience.