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This policy brief by the Latinoamérica Sostenible alliance (comprising Espacio Público, Transforma, and Ethos) analyzes the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on women, green jobs, and rural indigenous communities in Mexico, Chile, and Colombia. It argues that the pandemic exacerbated structural inequalities and that regional recovery strategies must prioritize social inclusion, gender equity, and environmental sustainability to be just and resilient.

This executive summary from the World Resources Institute argues that securing and protecting the legal forest rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities is a critical but undervalued tool for reducing carbon dioxide emissions and mitigating climate change.

This report by the World Resources Institute analyzes the access of Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPs and LCs) to payments for ecosystem services (PES) based on a review of 129 programs across 36 countries and a case study in Guatemala. It identifies systemic barriers to equitable participation and provides a multi-tiered framework of recommendations to improve rights recognition, representation, and financial benefits for these communities.

This working paper by the World Resources Institute assesses potential future risks to the global climate by analyzing proposed new coal-fired power plants and global coal market trends.

This World Resources Institute working paper, the eighth in a series, reviews Readiness Preparation Proposals (R-PPs) and National Programme Documents (NPDs) submitted to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and the UN-REDD Programme. The analysis focuses on how REDD+ Country Participants address forest governance, transparency, accountability, participation, and coordination during the readiness phase.

This policy brief by the World Resources Institute argues that effective climate adaptation for the rural poor requires an 'enabling environment' characterized by fair governance and secure rights to resources. It posits that governance failures and lack of resource rights are often more significant drivers of vulnerability than climate change itself, and proposes specific national and local investment priorities to build resilience through natural resource management.

This working paper analyzes the economic costs and benefits of securing community forestland rights in Brazil and Guatemala, concluding that such investments are low-cost and high-benefit for local communities, nations, and the global society.

This guide details the methodology and data sources used by the World Resources Institute (WRI) to create the Atlas of Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunity. The atlas identifies global areas of forest loss and evaluates the feasibility of restoration by contrasting potential forest coverage with current coverage and human pressure.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute examines public economic incentives for land restoration in six Latin American countries, highlighting the economic costs of land degradation and the necessity of financial rewards for landholders to achieve regional ecological and climate goals.

This report introduces a dynamic land-use model methodology developed in 1988 to quantitatively test and compare the carbon-offset and sequestration potentials of various sustainable forestry and land-use projects in developing countries.

This fact sheet describes the Solidarity for Environmental Defenders (STAND) initiative, a collaboration between the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Alliance for Land, Indigenous, and Environmental Defenders (ALLIED). The initiative aims to support Local Environmental Defenders (LEDs) who face security risks, criminalization, and violence, particularly in countries dependent on extractive industries or large-scale infrastructure.

This policy brief by the World Resources Institute (WRI) examines climate adaptation strategies for coffee farming communities in Costa Rica, specifically focusing on the Coto Brus region. It identifies key enabling factors for resilience, provides six strategic recommendations for the sector, and highlights comparative adaptation practices in Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico.

This working paper by the World Resources Institute evaluates the Green Climate Fund's (GCF) 'direct access' modality, which allows institutions in developing countries to receive funding without international intermediaries. While 62 developing country institutions were accredited as of November 2020, 67 percent of them had not yet received project approval. The paper analyzes four support mechanisms—the Readiness Programme, Project Preparation Facility, Simplified Approval Process, and Enhancing Direct Access pilot—finding that high administrative burdens, funding gaps for concept notes, and rigid eligibility criteria hinder smaller institutions from accessing climate finance.

This fact sheet describes Initiative 20x20, a partnership of governments, private sector investors, NGOs, and research organizations aimed at restoring degraded lands in Latin America and the Caribbean to improve livelihoods and combat climate change.