By Marcelo Freitas and Mayara Subtil
The role of forests in the global climate agenda and the challenges of turning international commitments into concrete actions were discussed at the official side event “From Recognition to Implementation: A Roadmap for Forests as Global Infrastructure,” this Tuesday (the 10th), during the Climate Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Turkey. With representatives from the Americas, Africa, and Asia, the meeting also marked the farewell of André Guimarães, executive director of IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute), from his role as Civil Society Special Envoy for COP30.
The discussion addressed ways to halt and reverse deforestation, ensure the conservation of tropical forests, and advance the implementation of climate decisions. The discussion also addressed the risks of an energy transition that, while seeking to reduce economic dependence on fossil fuels, could increase pressure on forests through the expansion of biomass and biofuels.
“We burn them, degrade them, and clear them. And what do forests offer us in return? Water, shelter, food, biodiversity, and climate stability. Therefore, it is a deeply unfair relationship we have established with forests,” stated André Guimarães. For the director, halting deforestation demonstrates maturity in society, but it must be accompanied by a paradigm shift—especially in economic models that still depend on the forest for activities associated with illegal logging, small-scale mining, and environmental degradation.
André also emphasized that the Roadmap on Deforestation, officially presented by the Brazilian government during COP31, succeeded in transforming intentions into an action plan.
“We are running out of excuses for not taking action. The roadmap represents the beginning, not the end. We need to do our part in the regions, in communities, in cities, in municipalities, at the local and federal levels, as well as through civil society initiatives and projects,” he added.
For Frances Seymour, senior policy advisor at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, halting and reversing deforestation is essential to limiting global warming, especially given the risk of temporarily exceeding the 1.5 °C threshold. The researcher emphasized that forest loss exacerbates climate risks not only through greenhouse gas emissions but also through its impacts on climate regulation, local communities, food security, and national economies.
“All these effects of tropical forest loss that are not directly related to greenhouse gas emissions fall on the countries and communities living in tropical regions. Therefore, if we do not address these problems, we will impose a double burden of climate impacts on these populations,” she emphasized.
Representing the Asian perspective, Marihel Parda Winda, Forest and Land Use Programs Manager at SFOC (Solutions for Our Climate), drew attention to the risks associated with the expansion of bioenergy, especially when it involves forest biomass and biofuels.
According to the expert, the current methodology for accounting for emissions can create inappropriate incentives for the use of biomass from forests, while the growing demand for biofuels can intensify pressure on land, compromise food production, and threaten rural communities.
“Direct land-use change occurs when new forest areas are cleared to make way for agricultural expansion. Indirect land-use change, on the other hand, is more complex: existing agricultural areas begin to produce biofuels, creating pressure to expand agricultural and forest frontiers, as well as threatening food production and the communities that depend on agriculture,” she noted.
From an African perspective, Mithika Mwenda, co-founder and executive director of PACJA (Pan African Climate Justice Alliance), highlighted the importance of the Congo Basin—the world’s second-largest tropical forest—and the challenges facing the African continent. Mwenda emphasized that poverty and the lack of economic alternatives are among the factors driving deforestation and argued that forest protection must be linked to combating inequalities and creating opportunities for the populations that depend on these territories.
“We cannot set aside any of these agendas. We need to ensure that, as we transition away from fossil fuels, we also preserve our forests,” said Mwenda.
Marco Túlio Scarpelli Cabral, Roadmap Coordinator for the COP30 Presidency, presented proposals to continue implementing the forest roadmap. In his view, the greatest challenge now is to transform the guidelines already established into effective measures.
“Today, the main gap no longer lies in the analysis, the diagnosis, or even the roadmaps. We have sound guidelines. We know where we need to go. What we need now is action, political will, financing, and concrete measures,” he said.
