COP30 Roadmap Invites Nations to Craft Their Own Forest Plans

COP30 roadmap to end deforestation will invite countries to draft domestic plans – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Unsplash)

Brazilian officials presented the first outline of a global deforestation roadmap this week at the United Nations Forum on Forests in New York. The document, due for final release by September, will ask countries to develop their own voluntary national strategies to meet the 2030 goal of halting and reversing forest loss. The approach marks a deliberate shift away from a single prescribed model toward plans tailored to local conditions.

From stalled global talks to a practical alternative

Last year at COP30 in Belém, roughly 80 countries pushed for two new binding roadmaps, one on deforestation and another on phasing out fossil fuels. Those efforts fell short, even though every nation had already endorsed the targets at COP28 in Dubai. With little implementation progress since then, Brazil’s presidency chose to create voluntary versions instead.

The deforestation roadmap draws on more than 130 written submissions from governments and experts. Juliano Assunção, executive director of Climate Policy Initiative/PUC-Rio and an advisor to the COP30 team, told delegates the final text will remain non-prescriptive. It will instead help countries translate existing 2030 commitments into concrete national and regional actions.

What the document will actually contain

The report is expected to split into two main sections. The first will examine the social, economic, and environmental risks of continued forest loss. The second will offer a menu of proven policy tools drawn from real country experiences.

Assunção stressed that the roadmap will identify drivers of deforestation that differ sharply from one nation to the next. It will also include a dedicated subsection on international cooperation, covering shared satellite monitoring systems, improved finance channels, and better alignment of trade and anti-crime rules. Officials described the text as practical rather than theoretical, built on existing instruments rather than new mandates.

Forest nations stress local realities and funding needs

Delegates at the New York meeting welcomed the outline but urged it to reflect on-the-ground conditions. Joseph Malassi of the Democratic Republic of Congo noted that deforestation in the Congo basin stems mainly from poverty-driven activities such as firewood collection and small-scale farming, not large industrial projects. Indonesia’s Nicholas Suryobasuindro added that any effective plan must address the complex links between land-use chains, economic pressures, and development priorities.

Guyana’s ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett highlighted finance as the decisive factor. She pointed to a six-point plan already backed by 34 countries and singled out two measures for immediate support: the Tropical Forest Forever Facility launched by Brazil and high-integrity jurisdictional carbon markets. Both, she said, can help nations with varying deforestation profiles, including those that have kept forest loss low through sustainable management.

Cooperation without forced coalitions

Diplomats leading the process made clear that the deforestation roadmap will not mirror the fossil-fuel phase-out coalition formed after COP30. Marco Tulio Cabral of Brazil’s Foreign Ministry explained that the mix of supportive and opposing actors differs too greatly for a single associated push. The focus remains on producing a text that captures a wide range of views through quiet consultations rather than formal negotiations.

Global Forest Watch data released earlier this year showed tropical primary forest loss reached 4.3 million hectares in 2025, an area the size of Denmark. Although down 36 percent from the previous year’s fire-driven peak, the figure remains 70 percent above the trajectory needed to meet the 2030 pledge. The new roadmap is designed to close that gap through flexible, country-led action rather than top-down targets.