Forests and Biodiversity

Through our project monitoring and policy advocacy, BIC promotes the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to integrate the protection and conservation of forests, protected areas, and biodiversity into their projects and programs. In addition, we advocate for MDBs to reduce investments that could jeopardize forests, protected areas, natural habitats, and the well-being of forest stewards.

Priorities

BIC calls on Multilateral Development Banks to adopt and enforce robust safeguards to prevent deforestation and biodiversity loss, protecting natural habitats, protected areas, and forest ecosystems. MDBs should reduce investments and the negative impacts of projects in sectors that drive deforestation, land degradation, and habitat conversion, including large-scale infrastructure, extractive industries, and agribusiness. MDBs’ climate finance solutions need to integrate forests and biodiversity.

88 million hectares

of forest in the Amazon were destroyed between 1985 and 2023 (MapBiomass Amazonia RAISG).

513,016 square kilometers

of Amazon forest were cumulatively deforested 2000–2018; pressures include extractive activities, agriculture, and infrastructure projects.

US$ 125 billion

MDBs committed a record in climate finance in 2023, publicly disclosed data do not allow us to determine what proportion is directed to forest and biodiversity-related interventions that have a high climate mitigation potential.

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BIC and partners brief Congress on the IDB’s Amazon Initiative

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