Latin America

Latin America is home to 22% of the forested areas globally. Brazil alone contains the largest forest area in the world; over 60% of its land area is covered by forest, most within the Amazon basin — the largest continuous mass of the world’s tropical forests. 

The region is also an agricultural powerhouse. Global demand for food, energy, fibres and other materials provides strong incentives for further expansion of agricultural activities in the region. It also poses a challenge to the climate agenda since there is a constant need to reduce—and even reverse—the sector’s legacy of greenhouse gas emissions.

Our Approach

Partnerships for Forests supports initiatives in forest landscapes at different stages of the Forest Transition Curve.

Our programme approach is based on three major pillars that span the diverse dynamics of economic development in forest landscapes, addressing the different circumstances that are encountered in Latin America.

In forests that are well conserved and where commercial use is limited, we use an approach of (1) creating value from standing forest. P4F is also present in landscapes where forest cover has largely been lost and large-scale agriculture is dominant. In these settings, we use a (2) production-protection approach. Finally, in those situations where land has been degraded after years of intensive use without adequate land management, and economic activity is declining, the programme invests in (3) restoration initiatives.

Our Portfolio

Partnerships for Forests investment portfolio in Latin America is dedicated to ensuring that economic activities take place side-by-side with forest conservation, sustained by improved productivity and profitability. 

The programme aims to promote sustainable rural business initiatives that can positively impact land-use management and attract private capital for large-scale change. The private sector plays a central role in building a sustainable, vibrant and inclusive rural economy and helps to reduce, and absorb, greenhouse gas emissions. 

Our online portfolio provides an overview of each supported initiative, its surrounding challenges, and the solutions it offers. It can provide meaningful insights to entrepreneurs, investors, local communities and other stakeholders in the land-use sector globally that, when successfully addressed, can be replicated elsewhere under similar circumstances.

Our current focus countries are Brazil, Colombia and Peru.

Click on the pins to discover more about our projects, or scroll the full portfolio below.

Forest Ventures

Forest Ventures brings together 15 socio-environmental impact businesses supported by P4F. It is a dynamic space, which offers a detailed view of business in accessible business language and seeks to reach audiences beyond the traditional impact ecosystem.

Want to know more about our work in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru? 

Check out the past issues of the Insights from Latin America newsletter.

Resources