The 2018 report on Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests – a commitment that aims to end natural forest loss by 2030 – found that 40 times more subsidies and investments are made in driving deforestation than protecting the world’s precious and rapidly deteriorating forest landscapes. According to Global Forest Watch, one football field’s worth of forest was lost every second in 2017.

This was one of many examples presented over the two days of the Global Landscapes Forum in Bonn, Germany, held on 1–2 December, of the pitfalls of finance when it comes to sustainable investment, development and fighting climate change. While the first day of the Forum focused largely on how and why individuals, communities and leaders must take action to secure a more sustainable future, the second day revolved around perhaps the largest enabler of such positive change: money, planted in the right places in the right ways.

The need to streamline and consolidate guidelines for restoration was repeated throughout discussion forums. The numerous methodologies promoted by different institutions can be confusing and, in turn, unattractive to private investors new to restoration processes, said speakers.

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