Search Climate Insights Directory

The 2030 Global Forest Vision provides a framework for governments to accelerate progress toward 2030 forest goals through actions in national planning, trade, finance, land rights, and governance. It emphasizes the need for integrated climate and biodiversity plans, the scaling of finance via mechanisms like the Tropical Forest Finance Facility (TFFF) and REDD+, and the recognition of Indigenous and local community land rights. The report also calls for financial regulators to address forest-related risks, the repurposing of harmful agricultural subsidies, and the restructuring of sovereign debt to value natural capital.

The report identifies systemic failures in the global financial architecture that drive deforestation and proposes five priority actions: reforming multilateral public finance, overhauling sovereign debt, scaling high-impact funding mechanisms like the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, repurposing harmful agricultural subsidies, and embedding nature-related risks into financial regulatory frameworks.

The research paper asserts that while the 2024 general elections sparked unrest, the primary drivers of protest in Mozambique are declining living standards, high youth unemployment, and systemic corruption under the Frelimo party. It highlights a rise in poverty from 46% to 65% over the last decade and the lasting impact of the $2.2 billion hidden debt scandal. The author notes a shift in public action, with citizens increasingly protesting against private sector entities, such as Kenmare, TotalEnergies, and Desheng Port, over land rights and infrastructure failures. The paper concludes that stability requires a genuine dialogue including opposition figure Venâncio Mondlane, warning that continued instability could disrupt regional trade via Maputo Port.

The report assesses gender inequalities in Kenya's agricultural sector, specifically within the Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB). It identifies systemic barriers for women, including limited land ownership, restricted access to finance, and a disproportionate domestic work burden, which exacerbate their vulnerability to climate change. The assessment analyzes six priority value chains—coffee, tea, fruit trees, African leafy vegetables, poultry, and dairy—finding that while women provide the majority of labor, they are often excluded from leadership and financial control, particularly in 'masculinized' cash crops. To address this, the project proposes a Gender Action Plan using Gender Transformative Approaches (GTA) and Gender Action Learning Systems (GALS) to shift deep-rooted socio-cultural norms and improve the representation and agency of marginalized groups in agricultural cooperatives.

The document is a formal letter from a coalition of environmental and community organizations urging U.S. budget committees to oppose additional funding for the U.S.-Mexico border wall. The authors argue that the approximately $18.74 billion already spent has resulted in an ineffective barrier that harms border communities, violates tribal rights, and destroys critical biodiversity. They specifically highlight the use of the REAL ID Act to waive 83 laws, bypassing environmental and civil rights protections. The coalition calls for the rescission of these waivers and the funding of remediation efforts for existing damage.

The report provides a gender assessment for the Mirova Sustainable Land Fund 2 (MSLF2), identifying how land degradation and deforestation disproportionately affect women due to systemic gaps in land rights and resource access. It outlines a programmatic approach to integrate gender lens investing, aligning with the 2X Challenge criteria and GCF Gender Policy. The fund sets specific targets, including that 35% of jobs created will go to women and 44% of total beneficiaries will be women. The document also provides detailed gender profiles for Ghana, Costa Rica, Peru, the Philippines, and Malaysia, highlighting country-specific labour force participation and legal frameworks.

The FAO and IISD have developed an early-stage screening tool for agribusinesses to assess the socio-economic and environmental impacts of potential investments. The tool ensures alignment with the CFS-RAI and international standards, covering areas such as land rights, food security, and environmental sustainability, while aiding compliance with EU deforestation and human rights legislation.

The document highlights the critical role of Indigenous Peoples in Southeast Asia as environmental stewards, noting that their lands overlap with 40% of global protected areas and that deforestation rates on their lands in Southeast Asia are half those on other lands. It criticizes the ASEAN declaration on environmental rights for omitting Indigenous Peoples, arguing that this lack of recognition leads to 'development aggression,' criminalization of land defenders, and the erosion of traditional knowledge. The brief specifically notes the vulnerability of Indigenous women and the overlooked contributions of marine-based 'Sea Nomads.' It concludes by recommending that ASEAN and its Member States formally adopt the terminology and protections of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) to improve biodiversity and climate outcomes.

The document examines how land-use changes, specifically deforestation in the Gran Chaco region, correlate with increased rural land conflicts in Santiago del Estero, Argentina.

The policy brief advocates for an evidence-based approach to transforming land administration in South Africa, specifically addressing off-register rights in urban and rural settings. It highlights that current formal registration systems fail to capture the social and customary norms governing land use, such as 'family houses' in cities and household-level rights in rural areas. The author argues that a comprehensive, transformed land administration system is necessary to record these diverse tenures and resolve disputes administratively rather than relying solely on constrained common-law court remedies.

This policy brief examines the gap between registered and off-register land rights in South Africa, defining land administration as the management function that executes land governance policies. It contrasts the formal common-law property system with customary and informal rights, noting that the latter lack formal registration, precise demarcation, and integrated information management. The brief evaluates two international models for bridging this gap: the World Bank and UN-Habitat's 'Fit-for-Purpose' approach, which emphasizes flexibility and affordability, and the 'Talking Titler' evolutionary design approach, which focuses on social networks and context-specific adaptability. While the Fit-for-Purpose model saw success in Rwanda, critics argue it may overlook local power dynamics in South Africa, suggesting that a more flexible, adaptive system may be necessary to address the country's complex land-rights situation.

The document argues that while agroecology offers a sustainable alternative to industrial agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa, these transitions are not gender-neutral and often overlook the systemic barriers facing women. It highlights how women's indigenous knowledge is critical for biodiversity and resilience, yet they face significant hurdles in land tenure, financing, and market access. The brief provides recommendations for philanthropic and governmental support to ensure equity, including long-term funding and investment in women-led cooperatives and processing infrastructure.

The document argues that secure land tenure is a prerequisite for agroecological transitions in Africa, as it provides the security necessary for farmers to invest in long-term sustainable practices. It highlights how colonial legacies of land dispossession continue to create systemic inequalities and tenure insecurity across different African regions. The brief provides specific analysis of land systems in countries such as Kenya, South Africa, Benin, Uganda, and Malawi, noting that while some national policies recognize agroecology, institutional support often remains tied to industrial, input-intensive agriculture. It concludes with recommendations for donors to shift toward long-term, locally led, and gender-sensitive funding models that prioritize land rights and social equity.

The document serves as a toolkit for civil society to ensure that the next round of NDCs, due before COP30, are human rights-based. It argues that such policies are both a legal obligation for Parties to the Paris Agreement and the most effective form of climate action. The guide outlines four primary actions for citizens: contacting governments, participating in drafting processes, reviewing NDCs using a provided scorecard, and holding governments accountable for implementation.

The Just Transition Planning Masterclass provided practitioners from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, and Namibia with frameworks to ensure nature-based solutions (NbS) are equitable. The program highlighted that while NbS are often seen as 'win-win', they can cause socio-economic disruptions, such as loss of employment in extractive industries or displacement of communities without formal land tenure. Participants explored the Climate Investment Fund’s Just Transition Planning Toolbox and identified strategies to mitigate negative impacts, including livelihood diversification, re-skilling, and social protection measures. The report also notes barriers to implementation, such as limited institutional capacity, financial constraints, and community mistrust.

The 2025 report by CPI/PUC-Rio reveals a significant but uneven acceleration in the implementation of Brazil's Forest Code. While the proportion of CAR registrations with initiated analysis rose from 15% to 24% nationally, and validated registrations nearly tripled, a deep gap remains between CAR validation and actual environmental recovery via the PRA. Progress is heavily driven by automation and 'compulsory acceptance' of corrections in states like São Paulo and Paraná, while other regions struggle with land tenure insecurity, lack of technical staff, and poor communication with landowners. Federal governance of the Sicar system has improved through a new partnership between MGI, SFB, and Dataprev, and the first national Environmental Reserve Quotes (CRA) were issued in Rio de Janeiro in October 2025.

The fact sheet 'Renewables done right' by Friends of the Earth International advocates for a systemic shift in the energy transition to avoid replicating the extractive harms of fossil fuels. It argues that renewable energy must be treated as a common good, emphasizing energy sufficiency, community ownership, and the protection of land rights. Through case studies in India, Argentina, Palestine, and Scotland, the document illustrates the risks of large-scale corporate projects—such as land grabbing and water scarcity—and proposes alternatives like circular systems, decentralized ownership, and the implementation of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

The document outlines a framework for the 'auto-renforcement' (self-strengthening) of community-managed territories in Madagascar. It details a process of collective decision-making, self-delimitation, and auto-documentation to enhance local governance and biodiversity conservation. Through case studies in Andranobe, Anja, and Soanavelandrazana, it demonstrates how communities can identify their territories as ICCAs, develop biocultural protocols, and seek voluntary registration in national and international databases to secure recognition and support.

The report examines the implementation of OECMs across six Latin American countries, arguing that while the framework can provide visibility to diverse conservation efforts, its success depends on addressing systemic inequalities, securing tenure rights, and shifting from top-down technocratic monitoring to locally led, rights-based support systems.

The document examines the role of OECMs in promoting inclusive conservation across Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru. It highlights that while the region has significant potential due to existing Indigenous and community-led territories, the effectiveness of OECMs is hindered by land tenure insecurity, legal contradictions, and gaps in governance and financing. The report argues that OECMs should not be a mere tool for meeting 2030 targets but part of a long-term journey toward the CBD's 2050 vision, requiring systemic transformations in land rights and economic systems to support local autonomy.