2. Stewarding Forests, Oceans, and Biodiversity
Protecting forests, oceans and ecosystems through conservation, restoration and sustainable use.
Forests, oceans, and wildlife are among the most powerful tools to combat climate change. However, they're disappearing fast.
Axis 2 of the Global Climate Action Agenda brings together governments, Indigenous communities, businesses, and conservationists to reverse that trend. The goal is to stop cutting down trees, restore damaged ecosystems, protect marine life, and make sure the people who live closest to these environments have the land rights and funding to protect them. Over 160 million hectares of land are already covered by these commitments, with billions in funding secured to keep forests standing, oceans healthy, and biodiversity thriving for generations to come.
Key Objectives:
Mobilize investments to halt and reverse deforestation by expanding PES, REDD+, restoration, and carbon markets, while ensuring financing mechanisms and Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities access to resources for forest protection and sustainable land use
Strengthen conservation and restoration of ecosystems through secure land tenure, biodiversity adaptation, sustainable fire management, combating environmental crime, and implementing synergistic Rio Conventions actions.
Advance sustainable ocean planning and marine conservation through coordinated management, breakthroughs in mangrove, coral reef, and coastal ecosystems, renewable ocean energy, sustainable shipping, and climate-smart aquatic food systems.
Progress
$38 billion
USD in forest finance (quadrupled from $11bn to $38bn for 2015-2023)
1,003
businesses using the nature-positive tool
4.4 billion
hectares of forest areas covered worldwide
*Data refers to Global Socioeconomic Indicators listed on the 2025 Yearbook of Global Climate Action and not to Plans to Accelerate Solution (PAS) progress. For more information read the 2025 Yearbook of Global Climate Action.
Be part of the implementation
Take action where your operations and value chain have the greatest climate-related risks. Drive change by seizing new opportunities across energy, nature, agriculture, cities, human development, finance.
Through Axis 2: Stewarding Forests, Oceans, and Biodiversity, businesses can step up as true stewards of our natural world by mobilizing capital into nature-based solutions, protecting marine ecosystems, and transparently disclosing ecological risks to drive science-based restoration. Key actions businesses can take include:
Invest in nature-based solutions to protect forests and restore natural ecosystems, through Business for Nature, Nature Action 100, and the LEAF Coalition.
Financiers can invest in nature-based solutions through Deforestation Free Finance, Capital for Climate, and Finance for Biodiversity, a signatory-based movement supporting institutional action on nature.
Assess and disclose nature-related risks across your operations and execute credible, science-based strategies for nature restoration by joining The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosure and Science Based Targets Network, which equips businesses to take science-based action on nature and biodiversity.
Deploy capital into blue economy solutions, including coastal restoration, sustainable aquaculture and ocean-based renewables through the Oceans Breakthroughs, the Oceans Stewardship Coalition, and the Mangrove Breakthrough.
Related Campaigns & Breakthroughs
Net Zero Activation Group
Climate leadership is shifting from pledges to implementation as companies, organisations, cities and civil society now focus on building the net zero economy of the future.
Learn More Net Zero Activation Group
Race to Resilience
Race to Resilience has completed its first full delivery cycle, from ambition to implementation, and proven that people-centred resilience can be measured, delivered, and scaled.
Learn More Race to Resilience
2030 Breakthroughs
A “breakthrough” is a moment that marks a significant advance in the transformation of an economic sector or natural system.
Learn More Breakthroughs
Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda
Adaptation outcomes in the Sharm el-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda helped protect lives, livelihoods, and ecosystems.
Learn More Sharm El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda
Climate Proofing SMEs
Empowering and enabling Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to take ambitious climate action.
Learn More Climate-Proofing SMEsExplore the Granary of Solutions
Explore Granary of SolutionsThe Granary of Solutions presents concrete examples of climate action – from deploying renewable energy, to modernizing power grids, to improving industrial efficiency. Examples show how sustainable transport networks, low-emission technologies, and smart infrastructure reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining reliable energy and industrial production at city and national scales.
Conexão Mata Atlântica: conservation and restoration aligned with sustainable production
Conexão Mata Atlântica is an initiative of payments for environmental services (PES) supporting conservation and restoration in the Atlantic Forest, benefiting farmer families, boosting carbon stocks, and conserving biodiversity.
Scaling Coral Reef Insurance in the Caribbean
A parametric insurance model by MAR Fund and partners delivers rapid funding for coral reef restoration after hurricanes in the Caribbean.
Innovative finance to scale deforestation-free agriculture in South America
IFACC mobilizes finance for deforestation-free farming in South America, supporting producers and expanding sustainable soy, cattle, and agroforestry practices.
Protecting Blue Carbon Ecosystems in Andalusia
LIFE Blue Natura in Andalusia mapped 13,000 ha of seagrass and saltmarsh, creating a Mediterranean carbon offset protocol. It boosted science-policy links and public awareness for coastal climate action.
Climate finance managed directly by IPLCs in Mesoamerica
The Mesoamerican Territorial Fund is an innovative climate finance model managed directly by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities who live in and sustain the last great forests and natural territories across six countries in Mesoamerica.
The Mother of the Mangrove
The Mothers of the Mangrove, a network of 600+ women in Brazil, protect mangroves that support life, traditions, and climate resilience across 37 communities and 12 marine reserves.
WWF and VELUX financing forest protection and restoration in biodiversity hotspots
WWF and VELUX launched a 20-year partnership to restore forests in Uganda, Madagascar, and Vietnam, removing 4.5M tons of CO₂, protecting biodiversity, and supporting local communities.
Large scale implementation of best practice mangrove restoration in Guinea Bissau
Large-scale mangrove restoration in Guinea-Bissau by Wetlands International, using natural regeneration to restore ecosystems, boost biodiversity, and support sustainable community livelihoods.
Related Resources
11 November 2025 2025 Yearbook of Global Climate Action
The Yearbook of Global Climate Action 2025 reveals a decisive shift from promises to delivery
Showing how cities, regions, businesses, investors and communities are driving climate action implementation at scale, across each of the axes of the Action Agenda. The Yearbook also highlights that significant gaps persist, underscoring the need to accelerate implementation in line with the Global Stocktake – the UN’s official report card on climate progress.
23 September 2024 6. Unleashing Enablers and Accelerators including on Financing, Technology and Capacity-Building Scaling nature finance now: The opportunity for investors in Brazil and beyond
Investing in nature and sustainable agriculture practices can deliver significant, mutually reinforcing benefits for businesses. This report presents how to scale nature finance now, with a look at the opportunity for investors in Brazil and beyond.
22 December 2023 1. Transitioning Energy, Industry, Transport Achievements at COP28
This report provides a testament from to the collective efforts and achievements that have marked a significant milestone in our ongoing journey towards a sustainable future.
Central to our discussions and outcomes at COP28 was the pivotal role of nature in addressing climate change, a theme that resonates deeply with the values and vision of the United Arab Emirates.
