Some island studies examples, integrating forestry and other ecosystem aspects into wider livelihoods rather than isolating them--and especially moving away from purely financial models:

1. https://www.islandstudies.ca/sites/vre2.upei.ca.islandstudies.ca/files/u2/ISJ-2-1-2007-Kelman-pp101-114.pdf

2. https://doi.org/10.1111/area.12457

3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imic.2015.04.001

4. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781315764528/chapters/10.4324/9781315764528-9

5. http://jmic.online/issues/v6n2/1

Regarding problems with offsets, see https://doi.org/10.1080/15487733.2012.11908094

Hello, dear all! I find this question very topical and important. What I would suggest, is a governmental or private initiative of employing local people in harvesting natural remedies and other richness from natural forests - like different herbs, etc. that could be used in high-value products in medicine, health care, and beauty industries. If locals would have an alternative way of earning money (going in the natural forests and harvesting sustainably there), maybe the need of new agriculture lands and timber selling would decrease.

What has worked around the globe is the initiation of a community forestry program that's bottom up. It needs to be community driven with government support and funding. It needs to recognize Indigenous traditions of management and provide income for the community through sustainable management. There are excellent examples in Tanzania, Kenya, Guatemala, Nepal and Mexico - all models that work.

Thanks for the response so far. Much appreciated. I still need to be convinced that these approaches can work at scale in world heading for nearly 10 billion people by 2050. The pressure to convert natural ecosystems for food, fiber, & energy will keep growing. Governments own/control much of the land in Africa/SE Asia and Latin America where most of the primary forests remain. What is their incentive to promote community forests versus granting logging/agri concessions that generate export credits for commodities and jobs? In Indonesia, for example, it is easier for a logging or palm oil company to be given a concession than a community forest group. Governments want quick results in their term of offices. And they measure results by GDP, Jobs etc. I like Ilan's response but this is limited to a very narrow range of isolated island geographies without the pressure of population and with the ability to exclude actors that seek to convert natural ecosystems. There is probably no solver bullet solution to changing the incentives of forest-rich governments in Africa/LA/SEAsia to protect what little is left in the world. But the international climate community is looking for one and the primary thing being discussed is REDD+ linked to carbon offsets. This seems problematic to me. I would like to offer up other potential solutions to the international climate process that would provide financing to complement some of the bottom-up approaches discussed in the four answers to date. Please share any ideas on how such financing mechanism can e structure to incentivize governments to protect remaining primary forests.

It's very difficult to protect forest and natural ecosystem in developing countries. For the sake of development they are working on big projects and clearing the forest and other ecosystems like mangroves. Foresightness of government is needed along with their love for nature. Environmental issues should be strictly reviewed for the governmental development projects. Governments should have strong willingness towards more carbon producing firm or entities to force for adopting good technology to reduce carbon production and follow the environmental guidelines and also provide some incentives as a financial support. Government should promote the green technology and use of renewable sources of energy and developed countries supposed to provide financial as well as technical support to developing countries.

Arun you provide a list of "shoulds" for what governments should be doing to protect forests. But my question is what mechanisms can we use to actually incentivize these behaviours? In my experience governments act in their own self-interest, not by what others think the should be doing. Do you have any suggestions on this?

para este financiamiento debemos aprovechar el enfoque del trabajo del pais del enfoque del comprometimiento del estado en esta labor como el todas las tareas que ayuden a resolver este dificil problema.

Carbon Credit can be a source of finance.

More than 1,500 companies have committed to net-zero emissions by mid-century, as have 11,000 cities and at least $9 trillion in private assets under management. This raises crucial questions as to how much offsetting of carbon can take place in mid-century and, more importantly, how much can take place on the path to get there. The January 2021 report of the Taskforce on Scaling the Voluntary Carbon Market suggested a market of 1-5 Gigatons of CO2e by 2030, with perhaps two-thirds directed at Nature Based Solutions (NBS), meaning that tens of billions of dollars of investment in NBS are potentially at stake.

Incentives / financial rewards for countries those protecting primary forests is well thought but earlier efforts of CDM projects and carbon credits etc not paid off well. some of them are still either Bio carbon fund, REDD+ or other carbon finance mechanism are rewarding if executed well and timely in developing countries. VCRs are on rise but regulatory and validation framework by UNFCC is not encouraging rather focus on restrictive CERs and many of which are loaded with energy sectors. NBS are given little weightage in these efforts. I think green incentives, soft loan for conservation projects and participatory approach with generous funding.

Carbon credits, valuation of ecosystem services, sustainable development of eco tourism, etc. Are options for generating the fund for forest development and management in developing countries.

El ecoturismo puede generar fondo para el desarrollo forestal en los países en desarrollo.

The provisioning of adequate resources for investment in sustainable forest management of forest resources in the developing countries has been receiving increasing attention internationally.

Appreciate all the replies. Sorry, I am still pessimistic that we can deliver the needed finance to protect the remaining forests trough carbon credits and other ecosystem services such as ecotourism. As I said in the question, I am looking for scalable solutions.

I think the days of offsetting are over. All companies/cities need to be on track and aligned with a science-based target. The original premise behind offsets, that you can delay your own reduction activities and invest elsewhere no longer holds up. To get to 1.5D everyone need to be on track with their own reductions. We can squeeze some finance from compensating/neutralizing residual emissions but I do not believe this will be suffice to incentivize the protection of at risk forests.

Much of the discussion around NBS for climate have focused on protecting but this does not address the fundamental driver of forest loss which is agricultural expansion. And agric land is for the most part more valuable to land owners and governments then primary forests. So curbing agric expansion is key.

There are two main strategies to address agric expansion: reduce consumption (especially of land intensive products like beef, bioenergy) and increase productivity on existing agricultural land. We need both. Unfortunately some of the regenerative agriculture practices being promoted by the env community take us in the wrong direction on productivity - they reduce the output of crops for a give area of land. This is highly problematic given that we need to produce about 45% more calories in 2050 than we do today to adequately feed the population.

I would like to encourage further discussion & ideas on how we use financing to increase agriculture productivity as a forest protection strategy (as well as food security, and climate and biodiversity strategy). I am hypothesizing this may an easier way to generate and scale financing for forests. It has the advantage of tackling the root cause of deforestation rather than just treating the symptoms. But to be successful, investments in increased productivity (a land sparing strategy) must be directly linked to incentives to protect forests. Please share concreate scalable ideas for doing this. Thanks!

When we look in to the Long Times, we find a fill answer. The History of Eurppean destruction of all Forrest, I remember the case of Lord Lovat. Lord Lovat was a importante person for who the English govern reconstrution the biggest part fo all forrest of England. The Battle Camps of fIrst World War. When you look de impacts in Holland in the XVII, the destruction of natural resourcers of peat. The longs times offer possibilit. The Policies for Preservation are possible solutions. The recovery policies will appear, I remeber the important Atlantic Forrest, survive in 1956, the creating Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar. Whe will find the soluctions in the history.

I feel that people are willing to protect and save things that they deeply care about. If the local people have a stronger connection and relationship with the forest (like indigenous people), it is more likely they would try to find solutions bottom up. So 1) campaigns and events, more hiking trails, guided tours in the forests, etc. that bring people back to nature and recreates this natural bond. Learn from nature and from local naturalists about natural ways of crop protection, soil fertilization, etc. 2) Promote a vegetarian lifestyle and implement tools, that support this lifestyle, like a tax on meat produce maybe? Create and support local supply chains in order to buy local vegetables and fruit from local producers (neighbors) 3) Promote and teach mindfulness and meditation practices, because people more at peace with themselves tend to eat less and emotional eating goes down.

I think the LULUCF is there but agricultural change is in some part not all across responsible for primary forest deforestation now. Last 20-25 years the the rate of conversion for agriculture is reduced but certainly industrial wood production from tropics has made conversion and so the natural forests in Latin America and parts of Asia has been destroyed. Compensation and incentives are the two quick financial tools to address the quick return.

The protection of forests and natural ecosystems, whether in developing or developed countries, largely depends on the socio-political willingness. The finance alone can not ensure biodiversity conservation but only help management approaches, if used judiciously. Both national and international, and both governmental and corporate mechanisms are in place for desired financing. The question is broad and generalised; however, addressing the specific county(s) based cases may receive better inputs.

Public private partnership (PPP) financing approach can be used for the protection of forests/natural ecosystems in developing countries.