Technical note TFFF: controversial solution to deforestation

In this study, we aim to analyze Concept Note 3.0 of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) , constructed by Brazil and the result of a process that began at the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) , held in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We will present the organizational elements of the TFFF defined to date, analyzing the creation of this financial mechanism. 

Concept Note 3.0 was developed based on ideas and contributions gathered during a consultation process conducted on the TFFF website, and updates six core areas of the Fund. The creation of the Fund is based on the argument that tropical forests provide countless ecosystem services to humanity, without having their value recognized, due to the absence of direct market benefits. In addition, financing for forests is insufficient in quantitative terms and is still fraught with difficulties in terms of access and scope of proposals. The stated purpose of the TFFF is to reverse the current situation by providing funding to countries that manage to keep their forests standing. 

The TFFF is based on core principles that determine that the Fund is a simple mechanism, whose management, operational and organizational structures are based on objective rules, with transparency and accountability, using existing systems and ensuring national sovereignty. The overall goal of the TFFF is to provide a results-based payment structure that encourages tropical forest countries (TFCs) to conserve their natural and subtropical moist forests, thereby having a positive effect on reversing forest loss. Results-based payment was chosen because satellite technology makes monitoring simple, transparent and consistent.

Among the advantages and benefits of creating the Fund announced by the government, we mention its scale and permanence, which enables forest conservation actions to be f inanced for a longer period.