How a global roadmap can deliver on its promise to stop deforestation

Marcelo Behar is COP30 Special Envoy for the Bioeconomy and co-founder of Ambition Loop Brasil.

Can we be the generation to end the massive deforestation that is harming the planet’s ecosystems and climate? In February, Brazil’s COP30 Presidency opened one call for works the proposed roadmap to stop deforestation and forest degradation, which closes today.

What may have looked like a technical step quickly attracted a lot of attention, with more than 100 responses from governments, civil society organizations, businesses and other stakeholders.

This level of commitment is indicative. The urgency of the issue and this process indicate whether the global goal of ending deforestation by 2030 is moving from ambition to delivery.

As a Brazilian, I see this moment with pride and realism. Brazil has played a leading role in moving forests up the climate agenda, and the COP30 Presidency has shown leadership in taking this issue beyond the Belem summit.

The COP30 rainforest fund is unlikely to make its first payments until 2028

But even last year he offered a spare signal. Despite the great efforts of the Brazilian Presidency, the proposed roadmap did not reach consensus in the final outcome of the COP30. The result underscored a simple truth: while there is widespread recognition of the importance of forests, agreeing how to move forward remains complex. The road is still long and likely bumpy.

That is precisely why this moment is important.

Keeping progress on engagements short

The world has no shortage of commitments. Over the past decade, countries have repeatedly pledged to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. There is growing experience through the REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) program, including the emergence of jurisdictional approaches that are beginning to link forest protection and financial scale.

Initiatives such as the Forest and Climate Leaders Partnership have helped sustain political attention and cooperation between countries, while national strategies continue to evolve, and indigenous peoples and local communities remain at the forefront of forest protection.

And yet progress is still short.

The gap is not just about alignment. It is also about political will, and having a shared and credible path that unites these efforts in a way that encourages implementation at scale.

Civil society is watching this process closely. For many organizations working on climate, nature and conservation, this is not just another initiative, it is a priority. After years of advocating to end deforestation, there is a strong sense that this moment cannot be missed. The hope is clear: this roadmap must go beyond the intended and help unlock real progress.

Now the choice is to make sure it does just that. This cannot be converted into another report.

Key to Roadmap Success Implementation

A detailed assessment of pathways and challenges, however valuable, will not be sufficient to change outcomes on the ground. What is needed is a roadmap for implementation that will link existing commitments, align incentives and provide clarity on how to move from ambition to delivery between now and 2030.

The consultation process is an important step. But his worth will ultimately be judged by what he produces.

If the roadmap is to succeed, several priorities should guide its development.

First: politics. It should be designed as an implementation tool. This means going beyond the diagnosis to define specific actions: who should act, by when and how it will be monitored. The solutions are not new, but there has been a lack of coordination.

Second: Accounts. It must bring coherence to the existing landscape. The value of a roadmap lies not in creating new commitments, but in linking existing ones: global goals, REDD+ experience, national action plans, indigenous leadership and supply chain initiatives. Reducing fragmentation is essential to speed up delivery.

Initial milestones are required

Third: finances. It must be based on economic reality. Deforestation will not happen without addressing the underlying incentives. Aligning public finance, private investment and market demand with forest protection is not a technical detail; it is the core of the transition.

Fourth: transparency. Legitimacy will depend on openness. A credible roadmap cannot be developed behind closed doors. Governments, indigenous peoples and local communities, civil society, business and financial actors all have a role to play and must see how their contributions shape the outcome.

Fifth: urgency. Progress should be visible in 2026. Without an initial milestone, momentum will fade away. By the time climate negotiators meet in Bonn, the roadmap should have a clear structure, priority actions and increasing political support.

Governments must implement the plan

Finally, the countries themselves will have to move forward. Last year’s result showed that support alone is not enough. Delivering this roadmap will require active political commitment. This means governments that are willing not only to participate in the process, but to help shape and implement it.

Brazil has created an important opening. He has also assumed the responsibility that comes with leadership: to help turn a widely accepted idea into something that can deliver in practice.

There is already a commitment to end deforestation by 2030. What is still needed is a path. And the courage to walk.