From 10-21 November, the Brazilian Amazonian City of Belem is hosting the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - COP30. Dubbed the "Nature COP", this crucial meeting, held for the first time in the heart of the Amazon, is placing an unprecedented emphasis on forests and land-use.
To build on this momentum and ensure sustainable forestry and its supporting mechanisms are incorporated in these dialogues, ZSL and FSC UK brought together different perspectives from the world of forestry to discuss how business, finance, and policy can help scale up sustainable forest management and drive positive impacts for climate, nature, and communities.
Key topics discussed
- The role of businesses in supporting sustainable forest management and forest-linked supply chains
- FSC Verified Impact: linking forest managers and company sponsors to generate independently audited data on ecosystem services, to support reporting standards and demonstrate on the ground outcomes.
- Corporate sourcing and policy certainty: How businesses can align procurement with sustainable forest management, and the need for long-term, stable policy environments.
- Data challenges: A recurring theme was the paradox of data: too much, too little, or not in the right places, and the need for better integration.
- Cross-sector collaboration: The importance of partnerships across civil society, business, and government to scale solutions.
- Benefit-sharing and equity: Emphasis on working with the local communities and forest stewards to ensure fair outcomes and leadership.
Key takeaways
- Nature and climate are inseparable: Linking biodiversity and carbon outcomes is critical.
- Certification matters: FSC certification not only supports biodiversity (compelling research was presented by Dr Joerwi Zwert’s from Utrecht University) but also helps companies prepare for regulatory shifts like the EUDR.
- Partnership is essential: Real progress depends on collaboration across supply chains, financial systems, and policy arenas.
- Momentum is building: The forum helped set the stage for deeper conversations at COP30.
The event was praised for its refreshing tone and practical focus, a welcome shift from technical jargon to looking at the bigger picture. The forum served as a timely reminder that sustainable forestry is not just a niche concern, but a key part of global climate and nature strategies.
"We’re incredibly grateful to FSC UK for their generous sponsorship of the FSC UK x ZSL Sustainable Forestry Forum. Their support was instrumental in convening key voices from across business, finance and policy to explore how we can scale up sustainable forest management and deliver positive outcomes for climate, nature and communities. With COP30 underway, these discussions are more urgent than ever."
- Dr Mirjam Hazenbosch, Sustainable Business Programme Manager at ZSL.
Highlights from the Sustainable Forestry Forum
If you weren't able to attend, you can watch the full recording from the Sustainable Forestry Forum.