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The document evaluates four legal frameworks for public-private partnerships in forest restoration: forest concessions, common tenders, common public service concessions, and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). While forest concessions are the current standard due to the Law on Public Forest Management (LGFP), the report argues that their rigid risk distribution and land category restrictions may hinder large-scale restoration. It proposes that common tenders are suitable for planting in strictly protected Conservation Units, while PPPs offer the most flexibility in risk sharing and financial support, especially for security and monitoring in high-risk Amazonian regions. The report emphasizes the need to legally characterize restoration as a public service to enable these alternative models and stresses the necessity of socio-environmental safeguards for Traditional Peoples and Communities.

The Union of Concerned Scientists reports that industrial agriculture is the leading cause of wetland loss over the last 250 years, which increases flood risks and releases stored carbon. In the Upper Midwest, 30 million acres of wetlands provide approximately $23 billion in annual residential flood mitigation benefits, with long-term value estimated between $323 billion and $754 billion. The document urges the US government to use the upcoming farm bill to increase funding for USDA conservation programs, such as the Conservation Reserve Program and Wetland Reserve Easements, to protect these ecosystems.

Industrial agriculture is a primary driver of wetland loss in the US Upper Midwest, where 30 million acres of wetlands provide critical flood mitigation and carbon sequestration. The report estimates that these wetlands provide nearly $23 billion in annual residential flood mitigation benefits, with long-term value between $323 billion and $754 billion. Recent legal shifts, specifically the 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Sackett v. EPA, have reduced federal protections under the Clean Water Act, leaving many wetlands vulnerable. The author argues that the next farm bill should expand the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) cap, increase funding for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and link crop insurance to conservation practices to mitigate flood risk and support environmental justice for marginalized communities.

The project targets a reduction of 16.05 million tCO2eq over seven years in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. It employs a three-component strategy: strengthening institutional and regulatory frameworks, scaling sustainable agricultural supply chains and social forestry, and improving the management and rehabilitation of forest and peatland ecosystems. The initiative focuses on five priority regencies—Kapuas Hulu, Ketapang, Kubu Raya, Sanggau, and Sintang—targeting 680,000 direct beneficiaries, including indigenous peoples and women, to transition toward low-emission and climate-resilient land-use pathways.

The RECAF project seeks USD 35 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and USD 32.434 million in loans from IFAD to reduce GHG emissions by 6.68 MtCO2-eq over 12 years. The project focuses on five provinces: Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Lam Dong, and Ninh Thuan. It aims to transform 145,000 hectares of forestland into agroforestry systems and protect 500,000 hectares of natural forests. Key strategies include upgrading the National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS), establishing public-private-producer partnerships (4Ps) for deforestation-free commodities like coffee and pepper, and implementing a performance-based Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) mechanism. The project targets 420,000 direct beneficiaries, with a strong focus on ethnic minorities and women, to improve livelihoods and climate resilience.

The author contends that the global food system has reached 'peak land' and that decoupling agricultural land use from food production allows for the retirement of marginal land. By paying farmers to stop farming unproductive areas, the document suggests that environmental services can be restored and GHG emissions reduced by 20-40% if 5% of farmland is retired by 2030 and 10% by 2050.

The document outlines how overfishing undermines food security, livelihoods, and spiritual practices, while contributing to climate change and human rights abuses. It advocates for stronger international fisheries management, the elimination of harmful subsidies, and the expansion of marine protected areas.

The project successfully enhanced the climate resilience of vulnerable coastal communities in Viet Nam by exceeding targets for storm-resilient housing and mangrove restoration. It constructed 4,966 houses (target: 4,000) and restored 4,028 hectares of mangroves, sequestering approximately 1.12 million tons of CO2 equivalent. The project also established early warning systems in 24 high-risk communes and developed a risk data repository for 28 coastal provinces. While highly effective and aligned with national strategies, the evaluation noted limitations in women's participation in technical leadership roles and a need for more robust long-term environmental impact monitoring.

The document examines how the climate crisis and overfishing mutually exacerbate marine ecosystem degradation and how these factors disrupt global fisheries trade. It highlights that tropical developing regions are projected to suffer the most severe reductions in fish catches, while the Global North is better positioned to capture new economic opportunities. The author argues for a transition toward low-emission technologies, the removal of harmful subsidies, and the adoption of value-added processing and digital traceability to support developing countries in maintaining food security and economic stability.

The report evaluates the economic and environmental benefits of nature-based infrastructure (NBI) in Kenya, specifically within the Integrated Natural Resources Management Programme (INReMP). It finds that NBI investments yield a return of USD 1.71 to 1.91 for every dollar spent, with the highest gains coming from agroforestry and drought mitigation.

The report evaluates the cost-benefit ratio of implementing 1,000 hectares of agroforestry in Eswatini across three dam locations. It finds that nature-based infrastructure (NBI) provides a positive return on investment, yielding between USD 1.46 and 1.52 in benefits for every USD 1 invested, driven by drought mitigation, increased crop production, and carbon sequestration.

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are being integrated into climate strategies across Latin America and the Caribbean to address biodiversity loss and climate change. While they offer significant economic and ecological potential—such as protecting coastal resilience and sequestering carbon—they cannot replace the need for deep emissions reductions from fossil fuels. The document warns that vague definitions of NbS can lead to 'greenwashing' by polluting corporations and risk the displacement of Indigenous and local communities through land grabs and monoculture plantations. For NbS to be sustainable, the author argues they must be based on local knowledge, ensure Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), and be supported by diverse financing mechanisms beyond voluntary safeguards.

The coffee sector in Mesoamerica, comprising approximately 580,000 producers—mostly smallholders with less than 5 hectares—is highly vulnerable to global price volatility and extreme weather events. Between 2000 and 2003, the region saw a 44% decrease in coffee trade earnings and the loss of 500,000 jobs for heads of households. While some farmers have adapted through organic production, fair trade, and social organization, others have been forced to diversify into non-agricultural activities or migrate. The document argues for a stronger public sector leadership to implement policies that combine indigenous knowledge with financial mechanisms (such as insurance and micro-credit) and social capital to improve long-term sustainability and climate resilience.

The briefing highlights that ecosystem services are worth over USD 150 trillion annually, while biodiversity loss costs the global economy more than USD 5 trillion per year. It asserts that the economic costs of nature destruction often exceed the benefits of exploitation, citing examples like EU nitrogen pollution and the Gulf of Mexico's dead zone. The text emphasizes that nature-related risks are transboundary, where deforestation in the Amazon or Southeast Asia impacts regional rainfall and coral reefs. It concludes that investing in biodiversity is significantly more affordable than the energy transition to net-zero, though a funding gap of approximately USD 830 billion per year remains.

The author contends that temporary carbon sequestration, such as carbon farming, is unsuitable for market-based mechanisms because it cannot store CO2 for the century-long timeframe required to meet Paris Agreement goals. The text criticizes the EU's proposed Carbon Removal Certification Framework for failing to exclude offsetting and double counting, while highlighting the technical inaccuracies of current monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) techniques. Instead of 'nature credits', the document proposes rewarding sustainable land management through a reformed Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and a dedicated EU fund for nature restoration.

The guide establishes a standardized framework for tracking climate mitigation, adaptation, and biodiversity finance. It provides detailed lists of eligible activities for mitigation, a three-step validation process for adaptation, and specific criteria for biodiversity finance. The document emphasizes the use of ex-ante GHG emission reduction assessments and offers methodologies for quantifying finance through incremental or proportional approaches to ensure transparency and avoid double-counting.

The PROEZA project in Eastern Paraguay aims to combine social protection with climate action by implementing agroforestry systems and efficient stoves for vulnerable households. While the evaluation recognizes the project's innovative approach and its success in improving land tenure security, it finds that overall implementation is very low, with less than 5% of final targets for agroforestry plantations achieved. Major obstacles include weak project design, high personnel turnover, the COVID-19 pandemic, and an unattractive credit line for medium-sized landowners. The report highlights risks to sustainability due to low institutional ownership and a lack of clear future financing, and it recommends a revised roadmap with realistic targets and a strengthened exit strategy.

The report identifies soil acidity as a critical threat to food security and agricultural sustainability in East Africa, noting that over 60% of arable land in the region is degraded. It proposes a holistic approach centered on 'high-priority areas' (HPAs) where interventions can be scaled. The core strategy involves combining the application of agricultural lime with integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) practices, such as crop rotation and organic matter application. To achieve this, the report recommends scaling up soil testing via rapid kits, increasing farmer awareness through community-based extension agents, and developing a robust lime value chain by engaging private sector actors and optimizing last-mile distribution.

The report highlights that climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices, particularly mulching and agroforestry, can significantly increase coffee yields and carbon sequestration in the East African Community (EAC). It notes a growing export market in the EU, which accounted for 60.1% of EAC coffee exports in 2021, but emphasizes that producers must adopt CSA to meet stringent EU sustainability, traceability, and phytosanitary requirements. Key barriers to CSA adoption include limited finance, land tenure issues, and inadequate extension services.

The document provides an overview of three types of carbon markets: compliance-based, voluntary, and multilateral-based (Article 6 of the Paris Agreement). It highlights the growth of government-led markets, which generated $104 billion in 2023, while noting the severe integrity crisis and subsequent investment decline in voluntary carbon markets. The author discusses how countries manage competitiveness through tools like free allowances and output-based pricing, and details the emerging landscape of Article 6 bilateral agreements. For developing countries, the report identifies a tension between the need for climate finance and the risks of 'greenwashing' and fiscal instability.