Financing Forests in the New Development Landscape

"Financing Forests in the New Development Landscape," centers on the unifying idea that within the new development landscape, blended finance is the bridge between conservation ambition and investable capital. The central question we will discuss is: Can the Congo Basin, home to the world's second-largest tropical rainforest, attract the scale of capital needed to protect it, and what financial architecture makes that possible? Co-hosted by WICE, a consulting consortium of former USAID development professionals, and the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC), "Financing Forests in the New Development Landscape" will explore how blended finance bridges conservation ambition and investable capital. This event will convene senior leaders from development finance, institutional investment, conservation science, and African regional government officials to discuss viable pathways for closing the finance gap for forest and nature conservation in the Congo Basin. We will discuss the operational, human, and institutional dimensions often invisible to capital markets, and identify concrete pathways for investors and development practitioners to partner more effectively. Specific objectives include: Introduce the Congo Basin Forest Finance Facility (C3F) and its role in mobilizing capital for climate resilience, biodiversity protection, and economic development Present the risk and reward facing investors in nature-based assets, and the blended finance models, from concessional debt to carbon finance, that can de-risk and scale investment in the Congo Basin Discuss lessons learned on the ground, including policy, land tenure, science and MRV, and local leadership, that have contributed to lasting impact, and identify where new capital inputs are needed.