“a forest standing strong is much more valuable than a fallen one,” said sonia guajajara, the minister of indigenous peoples of brazil.

guajajara played a significant role at cop30, the un climate change conference held in belém, brazil, in mid-november. she spoke at several panels and negotiations on behalf of the indigenous people of the amazon and of south america, whom she calls “protectors of the forests.” 

“in brazil, deforestation in indigenous community forests from 2000 to 2012 was less than 1% compared with 7% outside them,” according to a report by the world resources institute.

local forest guardians were recognized at the conference’s indigenous peoples day as guajajara announced the demarcation of 10 indigenous lands and the recognition of four new territories, according to the brazilian government. these lands are scattered across the entire country, from the northern states of amazonas and pará to the southeast’s são paulo. 

from start to finish, this year’s cop paid special attention to tropical forest conservation pathways, with an emphasis on financial initiatives that have the potential to work with long-established indigenous stewards.

a closer look into the brazilian amazon

the amazon is truly a unique, wonderful place, said carlos alberto de souza cavalcante, who has lived in amazonas all his life and owns ipanema lodge, an accommodation that immerses guests in all types of outdoor activities in the jungle just about 60km from the state capital city of manaus. 

the forest is home to around 30 million known animal species — without counting those that have not yet been catalogued. in brazil’s amazon, there are at least 311 mammals, 1,300 birds, 273 reptiles, 232 amphibians, and 1,800 fish, according to ispn, a brazilian institute focused on society and forest conservation. many animals can only be found in this region, like the boto-cor-de-rosa, or pink dolphin.

the amazonian societies also rely heavily on water and the resources it provides. it is the main form of transportation, and the natives’ day-to-day lives are based on the movements of the river. natan araújo, a journalism student who lives in manaus, said the school year of the children who live surrounding the river is scheduled based on the wet and dry seasons. 

“when the river is lower in the dry season, school has to be off because the access to land is more difficult,” he said. “but school is in session when the river is full, so their school year looks different than what is normal for us.”

deforestation and indigenous peoples

between 2018 and 2022, 76% of the total deforestation of the amazon rainforest — which spans nine countries — was in brazil, the direct driver of which is the conversion of land to pasture, said toby gardner, senior research fellow at the stockholm environment institute.

but deforestation can be curbed: the deforestation rate in the brazilian amazon dropped 11% between august 2024 and july 2025, marking the lowest annual forest loss since 2014, he said. 

a 2024 study conducted by the articulation of indigenous peoples of brazil (apib), an indigenous association in brazil, found that indigenous territories have the lowest registered deforestation rate in the country, having lost only 1.2% of native vegetation in the last 40 years. nearly 14% of brazil’s national territory is home to over 300 tribes, representing millions of hectares of vegetation that are likely to remain untouched as natives continue to protect them with their traditional way of life.

indigenous peoples and their role in protecting the forest were one of the pillars of cop30. guajajara said that cop30 was the conference with the highest number of indigenous people in attendance ever held. “approximately 5,000 members of original peoples from around the world participated in cop30; 360 of them were present in debates with negotiators within the blue zone,” according to the conference’s website.

funding initiatives as pathways to solutions

this cop was called several things, varying from the “cop of the truth,” the “cop for everyone,” and the “cop of implementation.” but given the difficulty of reaching a final deal in the last days of the conference, many in attendance also called it the “cop of failure” — a specific dig at the negotiators who were not able to agree on a strategy to push away from fossil fuels, with fewer than 90 countries agreeing to the “road map” introduced by brazil to phase out fossil fuels. 

despite this sense of shared frustration, some solution pathways did see progress. the tropical forests forever facility, or the tfff, was a major financing initiative introduced by brazilian president luiz inácio lula da silva at cop30.

according to the program’s website, it will “operate by mobilizing philanthropic, public and private capital, then reinvesting these resources in a diversified investment portfolio” in a way that benefits conservation and capital generation. on top of this, it provides climate justice and recognition of indigenous peoples and local communities, guajajara said. the tfff “mobilized over usd 6.7 billion in its first phase, with endorsement from 63 countries, establishing a permanent capital base for forest protection,” according to cop’s website. tariye gbadegesin, chief executive officer of the climate investment fund, said the tfff is a “powerful statement” on the central role of those who are most affected by climate change.

part of the plan is to set aside at least 20 percent of its resources for indigenous people, giving them more autonomy and control over economic investments as opposed to being managed by governmental actors, guajajara said.

“those who steward the forest must be given the resources to lead the charge,” she said.

aside from the tfff, brazil had already implemented initiatives to protect its sacred forests. the fundo amazônia, or amazon fund, is a governmental fund created in 2008 to finance actions aimed at reducing and monitoring emissions, deforestation, and environmental degradation. this fund had been completely halted during the four previous years under bolsonaro, said andré aquino, economic advisor to brazil’s environmental ministry. but after resuming in 2023, the fund was given a significant spotlight at cop. 

over 650 organizations are supported in direct and indirect ways, and 75% of the municipalities in the amazon rely on projects funded by the amazon fund, according to a cop panel hosted by brazil’s national development bank (bndes). in the last three years, new international donors and agreements have been announced, increasing funding to brl 2.4 billion and expanding involvement of countries like japan, the us, ireland, and the uk, though norway leads the funding with 77%, according to the panel. 

the fund also invests in firefighters to combat the large forest fires that have ravaged the amazon in brazil in the past couple of years. 5,000 firefighters have been trained in nine states, with a funding of brl 371 million for individual equipment, vehicles, and operational bases, as per data shown in the panel. 

mariana mazzucato, an economics professor at university college london, said this cop was “very rare” and that the amazon fund is “special.” 

“most funds socialize risks and privatize rewards, but the amazon fund ties the money to the people,” she said. “brazil is innovative.” 

keeping frontline and indigenous stewards of the land at the heart of conservation and financing discussions represents good global cooperation.

“what happens in the amazon happens to all of us,” said andreas bjelland eriksen, minister of climate and environment of norway. “we need to be able to work together to preserve the good that the tropical forests do for all of us.”