New Roadmap Calls for Deforestation-Free Finance to Protect Africa’s Forests and Agriculture.

A new civil society roadmap under the 2030 Global Forest Vision has been launched, setting out Priority Actions for Deforestation- and Conversion-Free Finance. Coordinated by WWF, The Nature Conservancy, Climate High-Level Champions, Climate Focus, and the Forest Declaration Assessment, the framework challenges governments, central banks, and financial institutions to redirect capital away from destructive land use and into sustainable agriculture and food systems.

The launch comes at a critical time: global deforestation remains stubbornly high, undermining climate goals and threatening millions of livelihoods, especially in Africa.

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Finance at the Heart of the Problem — and the Solution

The report highlights that finance both drives and can solve deforestation. It identifies three urgent pillars of action:

1. Reforming subsidies and fiscal policies — shifting away from harmful incentives like fertilizer subsidies toward sustainable alternatives.
2. Empowering central banks and supervisors — integrating deforestation into risk oversight and lending regulations.
3. Requiring financial institutions to align portfolios with deforestation-free supply chains.

Unlike past pledges, this roadmap builds on real-world case studies:

• Brazil — Central Bank guidelines tie access to rural credit to sustainable land use.
• Bhutan — chemical fertilizer subsidies replaced with organic farming incentives.
• Costa Rica — public finance + ecosystem service payments reversed decades of forest loss.
• China — green credit guidelines push banks to screen loans for environmental risk.
• Indonesia — blended finance facilities fund sustainable palm oil and reforestation.

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Africa’s Urgent Stakes

Africa records some of the fastest forest loss rates worldwide, with the FAO estimating 4 million hectares lost annually between 2010–2020. Nigeria has one of the highest annual deforestation rates, while the DR Congo loses nearly 500,000 hectares of primary forest each year.

Yet Africa has been largely excluded from global finance reform pilots. The roadmap argues this must change — urging African regulators and banks to adopt proven financial tools.

One critical issue is the debt–deforestation cycle: many African nations under heavy debt pressure exploit forests for short-term revenue through logging, charcoal, and farmland expansion. Debt-for-nature swaps, already in use elsewhere, could unlock fiscal space while protecting ecosystems.

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Why It Matters for Africa

With agriculture employing over 60% of Africa’s workforce and forests providing essential ecosystem services, aligning finance with conservation is not optional — it’s a necessity.

If reforms are ignored, African farmers risk losing access to key export markets as sustainability standards tighten globally. But if implemented, the continent could position itself as a leader in sustainable agriculture and land use, attracting green investment and creating new economic opportunities.

As the world approaches COP30 in Belém, the roadmap’s timing is deliberate: halting deforestation requires rules and incentives that reshape capital flows. The report proves that change is possible — the challenge now is whether African governments and financial institutions act with the urgency required.

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Conclusion

The launch of the Priority Actions for Deforestation- and Conversion-Free Finance marks a pivotal moment. It offers Africa tested global models that can be adapted locally. The choice is clear: finance can either drive the destruction of forests — or become the engine of their protection.