Coalition for Rainforest Nations: The objective is ambitious – forested tropical countries collaborating to reconcile forest stewardship with economic development.

Who: Developing Nations with rainforests -- partnering with Industrialized Nations that support fair trade and improved market access for developing countries.

What: Facilitate new and improved revenue streams in order to underpin community-driven environmentally sustainable economic growth.

How: Reform international regulatory, trade and economic frameworks to effectively align market incentives with sustainable outcomes.

Participants: Countries participating within the various activities of the Rainforest Coalition include: Argentina, Bangladesh, Belize, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chile, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, El Salvador, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Thailand, Uruguay, Uganda,Vanuatu and Viet Nam (see note below.)

What is at Stake: The World cannot afford to fail in this endeavor, as this approach provides the best opportunity to reconcile economic development with global climate stability and environmental sustainability in forested tropical regions. If these outcomes cannot be attained together, it is unlikely that either objective will be attained individually. The stakes are high; the Coalition Nations are tackling the challenge of implementing policy creatively and constructively.

Organization: The Rainforest Coalition was formed after a call by the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Sir Michael Somare, (bio>>) (speech>>) and operates as an intergovernmental organization with the Secretariat currently housed in New York City.

Initiatives: Coalition Nations may optionally participate in any of several key 'Initiatives'

1. CCDP Low Carbon Growth Plan (more>>)
2. CCDP Developing a National REDD+ Strategy (more>>)
3. CCDP National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change (more>>)

Case Studies for Change: For the first time, a group of developing nations with rainforests are formally offering voluntary carbon emission reductions by conserving forests in exchange for access to international markets for emissions trading. The Rainforest Coalition developed and tabled this proposal at the annual UN Climate Change Conference (more>>) , COP-11, Agenda Item 6 (more>>). On 9 December 2005, the UNFCCC Parties agreed to begin a process of further 'consideration' with the objective of finalizing recommendations by COP-13 in 2007.

A parallel initiative is being developed for the UN International Tropical Timber Organization that calls for fairer prices for indigenous loggers who employ sustainable harvesting practices.

* Note: Countries participate on a voluntarily basis primarily through unified negotiating positions, workshops and collaborative programs. Participation does not necessarily imply that countries adhere to any specific domestic policies or negotiating positions within the international context.

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In Memoriam, Wangari Maathai

CfRN mourns the passing of our friend and board member, Dr. Wangari Maathai.
She was a true defender of the environment and a champion of forest communites, indigenous peoples' rights and gender equality.
We honor her life's work and her legacy.  CfRN is blessed and honored to have had Dr. Maathai on our team.  Her enthusiasm and great spirit in facing one of the greatest challenges of our time, climate change, will always be with us.



The Coalition Nations are simultaneously struggling to defeat poverty while challenged with responsibility over a majority of the world’s biodiversity. Their challenge is to properly align market incentives with sustainable outcomes. Never before have such nations voluntarily initiated an agenda of such scope related to rainforest management.

The Problem: In many forested rural areas, the only real options for economic growth often require the destruction of natural forests – either when clearing for agricultural commodities (like soy, coffee, tea, sugar, rice, etc) or through the sale of wood products. In effect, international markets offer perverse incentives from the perspective of environmental sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and climate stability.

Solution at Scale: Reversing the tide of deforestation can only be accomplished through initiatives which are global in scope. Developing Nations alone cannot overcome the outmoded market incentives along with the corruption and poverty which drive illegal logging, clear-cutting and transfer pricing. These market failures can only be remedied through regime shifts which are driven first within industrialized nations.

The Concept: The Rainforest Coalition endorses market-based ‘developmental finance’ mechanisms which yield concrete environmental benefits. For example, Developing Nations will demonstrate leadership and agree to be held accountable for their carbon emissions and forest management policies, if in exchange, Industrialized Nations encourage such action through EQUAL participation within global markets for emissions and forest products.

Revenue Streams: Coalition Nations aim to establish models that will work for all forested tropical countries, using a combination of income streams derived from: carbon sequestration (carbon releases avoided by retaining forests), selective logging coupled with vertical market integration, eco-friendly ‘cash crop’ cultivation, biodiversity purchase and leases, community-based venture creation, reprioritized international grant strategies, etc.

Outcomes: By drawing on economics and conservation biology, it is now possible to develop collaborative frameworks within which developing countries can dramatically improve the long-term global prognosis for rainforest stewardship, biodiversity conservation, climate stability (via reduced carbon emissions), sustainable development, and poverty reduction.