We are writing out of concern regarding the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) as outlined in the concept note of February 2025 and to suggest some relatively simple additions that we believe would greatly improve the ecological credibility and financial viability of the proposed fund.
It is important that the TFFF not only provide incentives for retaining a minimum level of forest cover, but also to retain forests with high ecosystem integrity at a landscape scale as well as increase natural forest cover – which it does not currently do. This is critical for the effectiveness of the TFFF because differences in forest ecosystem integrity have a significant impact on the quality and quantity of ecosystem services the forest generates and the risks to those services from land use and climate change. Without these added incentives, the proposed 20% forest cover threshold is not credible as humid tropical forests are characterised by a closed canopy where a minimum threshold for canopy cover is greater than 60%-70%.