19 September 2023, New York – As government and corporate leaders gather for New York Climate Week, founding members of the Peoples Forests Partnership have launched the Equitable Earth Coalition. In partnership with Indigenous Peoples, local communities and Global South countries, the Coalition is committed to developing a new voluntary carbon market standard and platform to help end deforestation and biodiversity loss by driving finance directly to communities.

Michael Jenkins, CEO of Forest Trends, said: “As a longtime champion of trustworthy and accessible carbon markets, we are excited about a process that centers Indigenous Peoples and local communities. We believe this fills a major gap in the carbon ecosystem. Forest Trends is glad to support the Equitable Earth approach, and we look forward to seeing it deliver on its goal of rapidly scaling direct climate finance to communities on the front lines of efforts to safeguard forests.”

The goal of the Equitable Earth Coalition is to develop that solution through a new voluntary carbon market (VCM) standard and platform that is:

• Developed in continuous partnership with Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs), with an aim of delivering transformative finance directly to communities to fund their own development ambitions.
• Founded on transparency, robust science and rigorous due diligence, a standardised approach to measuring carbon, societal and biodiversity impacts, and best practices for IPLC ownership and inclusion.
• Holistic by driving investment both to stop deforestation, and to restore and steward forest ecosystems.
• Designed to nest into national forest carbon programs that contribute to global climate commitments.

The founding members of the Coalition include Forest Trends, Wildlife Works and Everland.

Beto Borges, Director of the Forest Trends Communities and Territorial Governance Initiative, will be Chair of the Equitable Earth Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities Guidance Council.

“The voluntary carbon market can help address forest loss at its root, by providing essential finance to Indigenous Peoples and local communities to make conservation a viable development path. But the market has not been designed to meet the needs of the communities on the ground, who hold the key to reducing emissions from deforestation,” Beto Borges said. “A fit-for-purpose solution is needed now. Forests are being destroyed and we have run out of time.”

Also joining the Equitable Earth Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities Guidance Council will be:

• Francisca Arara, Extraordinary Secretary for Indigenous Peoples in the State of Acre, Brazil, and President of the Regional Committee for Brazil of the Governors Climate and Forests Task Force
• Gustavo Sánchez Valle, President of the Mexican Network of Community Forest Organizations (Red MOCAF)
• Mary Allegretti, Anthropologist, President of the Institute of Amazonian Studies
• Júlio Barbosa de Aquino, President, National Council of Extractivist Populations (CNS)

The Coalition is growing rapidly and currently undertaking stakeholder consultations with IPLC leaders; Global South governments; project developers; carbon market participants; scientific and policy experts; and others, with further announcements planned later this year.

For further information, visit eq-earth.com

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Quotes from members of Equitable Earth’s Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities Guidance Council:

Francisca Arara, Extraordinary Secretary for Indigenous Peoples in the State of Acre, Brazil, and President of the Regional Committee for Brazil of the Governors Climate and Forests Task Force: “From Kyoto onwards, we hope to see a carbon standard for forest and biodiversity conservation that respects the rights of Indigenous Peoples and ensures equitable participation and direct financing, recognizes our land and carbon rights, and free, prior, informed consent (FPIC), and which also adheres to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and recognizes our traditional knowledge.”

Gustavo Sánchez Valle, President of the Mexican Network of Community Forest Organizations (Red MOCAF) which promotes community forestry and supports Indigenous and farmers organisations that own lands in Mexico: “We welcome the construction of Equitable Earth, we believe that a standard for community carbon projects and other ecosystem benefits is required that is built from the beginning with the participation of representatives of indigenous Peoples’ organisations, local communities, tribal peoples and Afro-descendants.”

Mary Allegretti, Anthropologist, President of the Institute of Amazonian Studies: “The EquitableEarth initiative is strategic to bring security and reduce pressure on communities, fills a gap and defines necessary rules to value the contribution of communities in controlling deforestation in the Amazon.”

Júlio Barbosa de Aquino, extractivist, cousin of Chico Mendes and President of the National Council of Extractivist Populations (CNS): “This initiative will allow us to get closer to the reality of the traditional peoples and communities of the Amazon.”

Notes to editors

Media contact: info@eq-earth.com

About Forest Trends

Forest Trends works to conserve forests and other ecosystems through the creation and wide adoption of a broad range of environmental finance, markets, and other payment and incentive mechanisms. Our Communities and Territorial Governance Initiative partners with indigenous and other forest communities on innovations to secure their rights, livelihoods, and cultures through a strategy built on advocacy, economic self-determination, and cultural integrity.
forest-trends.org

About Wildlife Works

Founded in 1997, Wildlife Works is a community-centered wildlife conservation company that implements market-based solutions to protect the planet’s threatened wilderness and endangered wildlife. The company was founded on the premise that if we want wildlife in our world, it has to work for local communities who share their environment. Wildlife Works’ conservation projects drive direct financing to forest communities to fund their own economic development while preventing millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere annually.
wildlifeworks.com

About Everland

Everland helps people prosper from conserving their forests and wildlife, resulting in climate change mitigation for the benefit of all. We mobilize transformative investments into forest communities who are on the frontlines of stopping deforestation, halting climate change, and safeguarding biodiversity, to deliver conservation outcomes at scale. Through deep due diligence and impact reporting, we ensure that clients invest in meaningful impact, and realize the full value of their support for REDD+ projects.
everland.earth