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This concept note from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and FAPESP, submitted to the Belmont Forum Plenary, proposes a transdisciplinary and participatory initiative to address urgent threats to the Amazon region. The proposal emphasizes the link between biodiversity loss, climate change, and human health, while advocating for the protection of indigenous knowledge and the implementation of environmental governance frameworks.

This research paper by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes proposed trade-related legislation from the European Union and the United Kingdom designed to reduce commodity-driven deforestation and forest degradation through mandatory due diligence requirements.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes how Brazilian mining regulations, specifically the distinction between industrial mining and 'garimpeiro' (artisanal) mining, are being exploited by cooperatives to conduct industrial-scale operations under a weaker regulatory framework. It argues that two February 2022 presidential decrees further exacerbate this contradiction by providing incentives and simplified licensing to these cooperatives, which often operate on a larger scale than major industrial mining companies in the Amazon.

This report by FSD Africa provides a first quantitative risk assessment and stress-testing framework for financial institutions in Africa to evaluate nature-related opportunities and risks. Using the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) LEAP approach, the study analyzes the impact of nature loss and nature-positive transitions on equity and lending portfolios across several African countries and private banks. It highlights that while aggregate portfolio impacts may appear small due to limited direct exposure, the risks are material for nature-intensive sectors like agriculture and extractives, where nature-related risks could double expected credit losses by 2030.

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative/PUC-Rio analyzes how ongoing legal controversies in Brazil are hindering the implementation of the 2012 Forest Code (Law No. 12.651). It details four primary legal disputes: the conflict between the Forest Code and the Atlantic Forest Law, the determination of temporal milestones for Legal Reserve requirements under Article 68, the validity of revising previous environmental commitment terms, and the contradictory criteria for Environmental Reserve Quotas (CRA).

This policy brief evaluates the impact of rural credit provided by the Brazilian National Development Bank (BNDES) for the purchase of farming machinery and equipment between 2005 and 2019. The study finds that such credit increases agricultural productivity and stimulates production without increasing deforestation, often by replacing pasture areas with more productive cropland. The effects are most pronounced in municipalities with high labor intensity and when credit is used for labor-saving equipment.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the drivers of global forest loss, the evolution of international forest governance, and the role of private sector commitments and carbon markets in forest protection.

A report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzing Bill (PL) No. 2374/2020, which proposes extending the amnesty period for illegal deforestation of Legal Reserve areas in Brazil from July 2008 to May 2012.

This SEI discussion brief examines the relationship between tropical deforestation and water use in agricultural commodity supply chains, specifically focusing on imports into the European Union. It argues that while current policy focuses on deforestation, overlooking water use may shift environmental burdens to water-scarce regions. The brief identifies critical data gaps for beef and wood products and suggests that a comprehensive definition of sustainable supply chains must integrate both land and water stewardship.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute outlines six strategic measures for G20 leaders to maximize the role of forests in climate mitigation, food security, and pandemic recovery. It specifically urges Indonesia, as the 2022 G20 president, to lead by example by strengthening its own forest governance and promoting high-quality nature-based carbon credits.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) argues that Brazilian presidential decrees from February 2022 exacerbate a regulatory gap in the mining sector, allowing gold mining cooperatives to operate as industrial entities while benefiting from lenient regulations intended for vulnerable individual miners. The authors call for the revocation of these decrees to better protect the environment and improve oversight in the Amazon.

Natural Justice provides a critical analysis of Mozambique's draft Forest Act, arguing that the document functions as an economic instrument for exploitation rather than a tool for environmental protection. The organization highlights significant gaps in the draft, including the lack of distinction between native and planted forests, the absence of sustainable forest management concepts, and insufficient protections for community rights and biodiversity.

Natural Justice provides a detailed critique of Mozambique's preliminary draft Forestry Bill (April 2022), arguing that the document functions more as an economic instrument for logging and trade than a tool for environmental protection. The organization highlights critical gaps in the bill regarding sustainable forest management, community rights, biodiversity protection, and the prevention of institutional corruption.

A study of irrigated and rainfed cropland in the Brazilian Cerrado found that while fields acted as carbon sinks during crop development, they became net carbon sources when accounting for harvest removals and emissions from soil preparation and stubble periods.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the Constitutional Financing Funds (FCFs) in Brazil's North, Northeast, and Center-West regions. It finds a significant disconnect between the funds' social objectives—reducing income disparities and supporting small producers—and the actual allocation of resources, which has become concentrated among larger producers and specific municipalities due to overly broad eligibility criteria.

This working paper provides an overview of climate commitments and actions by non-state and subnational actors in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a specific focus on the land use sector and the Amazon region.

This policy brief evaluates progress toward the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) goal of eliminating deforestation from agricultural commodities. It reports that while commodity-driven deforestation rates have declined since a 2016 peak, the 2020 target for ending agriculture-driven deforestation was not met, and current rates remain similar to those seen before 2014.

Infrastructure and extractive industries act as catalysts for deforestation by opening access to intact forests. Despite representing a smaller share of direct forest loss than agriculture, their indirect impacts are vast, driven by massive planned investments in roads and economic corridors. While some high-level policy alignments and financial safeguards have emerged, the document argues that a fundamental realignment of economic incentives and stronger enforcement of IPLC rights and environmental regulations are required to achieve forest protection goals.

This policy brief evaluates progress toward Goal 8 of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), which focuses on providing financial support to reduce forest emissions. It highlights a massive gap between the estimated annual funding needed to protect and restore forests (USD 45 to 460 billion) and current funding (USD 2.4 billion), while noting that deforestation-linked subsidies exceed USD 10 billion per year. While the document identifies growth in green finance, REDD+ commitments, and the availability of risk-assessment tools, it warns that systemic barriers—such as perverse economic incentives and a lack of transparency in financial institutions—continue to hinder transformational change.

This report evaluates progress toward Goal 9 of the New York Declaration on Forests, which focuses on rewarding countries and jurisdictions that reduce forest emissions through results-based finance and private-sector sourcing.