Image credit: © Brazilian Government

November 13, 2025 ♦ 13:15 – 14:45 (UTC -3) ♦ UNFCCC Pavilion SE Room SIDE EVENT 1/ONLINE

This side event is organized by ParisTech, through its Chair Prospective modeling for sustainable development directed by the Centre for Applied Mathematics (CMA) from Mines Paris – PSL and the Centre International de Recherche sur l’Environnement et le Développement (CIRED), France.  

Tropical forests play a vital role in regulating global environmental change, by acting as major carbon sinks and reservoirs of biodiversity. Without effective forest conservation and reduced deforestation in tropical regions, the global cost of climate mitigation would rise dramatically. Protecting these forests therefore requires strengthened North–South collaboration—where financial, technical, and institutional support from developed countries complements the efforts of tropical forest nations. Such cooperation is not only a matter of fairness, but also of shared interest. It will help to lower global mitigation costs, achieve national climate commitments, and preserve the vital ecosystem services upon which all countries depend. 

As COP30 arrives to the Amazon region, this side event will explore what makes North–South collaboration on forest conservation successful: how much more financial transfers are needed, how institutional and political barriers can be overcome, and how local communities can benefit fairly from conservation efforts. 

This side event aims to provide a forum for high-quality exchanges to establish a dialogue between policymakers, experts and scientists. It will contribute to the reflection on the direction of public and private research strategies, in support of climate negotiations. 

Chair: Pr. Nadia Maïzi (Mines Paris – PSL, CMA)

Part 1: Global and economic perspectives

• Setting the Scene: The Role of Carbon Sinks in Climate Mitigation | Presentation by: Dr Sandrine Selosse (Mines Paris – PSL, CMA) | Focus: Scientific overview of the contribution of forest sinks in achieving net-zero targets.
• What economic incentive can the TFFF proposal provide to limit deforestation?  |Presentation by: Dr Emma Jagu Schippers (CIRED) | Focus: We compare the financial mechanisms proposed under the Tropical Forest Finance Facility (TFFF) with estimates of agricultural opportunity costs associated with forest conservation in tropical forest countries. This comparison provides insights into the adequacy of current financial flows supporting forest conservation.

Part 2: Institutional and political challenges

• Title of the presentation to be confirmed | Presentation by:Pr Alexandre Strapasson (University of Brasilia)
• Can the Brazilian TFFF proposal be efficient in slowing down global deforestation? | Presentation by: Dr Alain Karsenty (CIRAD) | Focus: Key considerations include TFFF’s financial model, the distribution of rents among forest countries, their capacity to enforce deforestation bans, the conditionalities attached to financial transfers, and the ability of recipient countries to meet these conditions.

Part 3: Bridging Global Support and Local Realities 

• Bridging Global Ambitions and Local Realities: The Senegalese Path toward Inclusive Forest Restoration | Presentation (in French) by: Dr Tamsir MBAYE (Director of CNRF/ISRA) |Focus : Senegal’s experience illustrates how global ambitions for forest conservation can be effectively aligned with local realities through inclusive and adaptive governance. Drawing on fieldwork and community initiatives led by the National Center for Forestry Research (CNRF/ISRA), the presentation will highlight how restoration programs integrate scientific innovation, local knowledge, and participatory land management to strengthen the resilience of forest and pastoral ecosystems. It will also emphasize the importance of reinforcing North–South collaboration, not only through financial transfers, but also by building capacities, co-producing knowledge, and establishing lasting institutional partnerships to ensure fair and sustainable forest restoration.
• Lessons from TerrAmaz on local implementation. | Presentation by: Dr Marie-Gabrielle Piketty (CIRAD)

Questions and answers: 30 minutes