Forest Financing Latin America and the Caribbean

Information on forest finance, with a focus on Latin America and the Caribbean region, was identified, collected and analysed, and the findings are presented in this document. The aim is to collaborate with the ongoing discussions on financing SFM under the UNFF. The report provides information on identified funds and efforts by LAC countries to address the issue on forest finance, including the challenges of tracking financing flows and to identify funding available at the national level.

This report summarizes all activities undertaken and results obtained by the consultant Ivan Tomaselli during the assignment. It is divided into six main parts: 

i. Sources of Forest Financing: financial implementation of forest instruments, comprising resources from the public and private sectors applied in all types of forests;
ii. Gaps and Opportunities for Forest Related Financing: main public and private forestry financing options available for LAC, including financing demands for SFM and current identified forestry financing areas;
iii. Trends and Implications of New and Emerging Forest-Related Financing Initiatives: emerging financing initiatives of the public sector (international organizations and multilateral environmental agreements, joint initiatives, regional and national initiatives) and the private sector;
iv. Access to Forest Financing: identification of barriers for access to financing and suggestions to overcome such barriers;
v. Successful Country Experiences and Initiatives: selected forest competitive country initiatives and successful initiatives in LAC countries;
vi. Strengthening Forestry Financing: proposals for strengthening existing forest-related financing initiatives and mechanisms, as well as views on the advantages and disadvantages of establishing the GFF.