At COP30, debates over shrinking public funding highlighted why projects such as Mejuruá matter as credible, community-based models for Amazon conservation.
Thousands gathered in a sweltering tent city in Belém for COP30, where the air-conditioning failed almost as often as the climate pledges. Enterprising vendors quickly debuted a “COP30” ice cream—cupuaçu, Brazil nut, and a dash of pistachio—a surprisingly good mix drawn from the rainforest itself.
The flavor became its own quiet metaphor: progress on environmental issues will require balancing unlikely ingredients to meet the current geopolitical mood. And in the humid tents of COP30, one truth stood out—every green struggle is linked, and real conversation remains the only thing that doesn’t melt under pressure.
Calls to Streamline Global Environmental COPs
Indeed, there is a small but growing movement to link the various COPs on environmental issues, perhaps into a single annual conference. However, such an undertaking would likely limit the number of cities that could host COP30. Belém certainly struggled to host COP30.
Public financing for conservation is shrinking across continents, yet expectations for environmental leadership are rising. This is not to say programs like the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) were not a major part of the discussion, but just one.
Private Capital Is Stepping in as Governments Step Back
We must not forget that new approaches are needed, and COP30 made clear, with the absence and scaled-back presence of major governments, that private-sector initiatives are reshaping how climate action is funded. The Amazon—the symbolic heart of biodiversity—reflects how such projects must have strong social-community links.
One such project was the Indigenous Amazon Outcome Bond, which received $160 million in letters of intent (LOIs) for saving the Amazon, in partnership with indigenous communities. The initiative includes $50 million in upfront financingto launch 20 new Indigenous-centered REDD+ forest conservation projects.
The Mejuruá Project: A Test Case for High-Integrity Finance
Such projects with a defined land parcel and project structure are few and far between. The Mejuruá Project, set in the state of Amazonas, perhaps best fits the bill when it comes to specificity. The vast 900,000-hectare Mejuruá conservation project is led by the Brazilian firm BR Arbo, with support from Iamazonia, an international initiative focused on scalable conservation finance. The plan is simple: protect the forest while improving life for the people who call it home through a project that pays for itself.
More than 123,000 hectares have been set aside from logging. Over the next three decades, the project is expected to prevent more than 80 million tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions—a meaningful figure even in a region known for superlatives.
A Governance-First Approach to Carbon Markets
Mejuruá operates with zero reliance on public funds, unlike other projects mooted at COP30. It is financed through private capital and the future sale of high-integrity carbon credits certified under international standards.
“This is not a speculative venture,” said Carlos Canabarro, president of BR Arbo, in a press statement: “It is an effort to align conservation with solid governance and local participation.”
That governance-first approach is notable. Mejuruá’s carbon credits—once accredited under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) labels—will be independently verified, transparently linked to avoided emissions, and tied to measurable improvements in the lives of local communities. In a market often clouded by intermediaries and opaque claims, this matters.
Linking Conservation Efforts to Local Development
There is, after all, sunlight and water in the Amazon. The question is how to capture that in a usable form, including drinking water, off-grid solar power, reliable internet to enable communication, and support for riverside families.
It supports small-scale economic activities—such as community processing facilities and sustainable forestry training—helping to connect livelihoods to long-term stewardship. Through the “Forest Angels” program, residents actively monitor the forest, linking land rights granted to riverside families to conservation responsibilities. It even supports açai collection, something the ice cream-hungry delegates at COP30 might well support.
“This project shows how responsible private investment can complement public action,” said Rubens Barbosa, the former Brazilian ambassador to the United States and the United Kingdom. “Its credits will be traceable, verified, and tied to education, sanitation, and renewable energy. When environmental protection, social progress, and economic realism align, Brazil strengthens its credibility as a global actor.”
Legal Headwinds and a Test of Investor Confidence
In an era when environmental policy intersects with trade negotiations, investment flows, and foreign policy narratives, Brazil’s ability to host credible private-sector conservation efforts becomes a strategic asset.
The project, of course, is not without detractors. Earlier this year, a local prosecutor sought to suspend Mejuruá’s activities—an action dismissed by Brazil’s National Council of Prosecutors. The dispute slowed the project’s accreditation with Verra, the world’s leading carbon standard. For investors watching Brazil closely, the episode served as a reminder that legal uncertainty can undermine good projects as effectively as deforestation does.
“If credible projects are discouraged, Brazil risks pushing investors toward less transparent forms of foreign capital,” said Mr. Barbosa in a media statement. For him, Mejuruá is a beacon that signals the country’s seriousness in shaping the future of the world’s largest rainforest.
Amazon Governance Models Matter Globally
As diplomats, companies, and activists head for the Belém airport after COP30, the Amazon again becomes the stage on which global promises meet local realities. Pragmatic models for how governance, community engagement, and private investment can converge in a region where idealism often collides with economic pressure.
Projects like this will help ensure Brazil is front and center in the climate discussion long after the ice cream has melted.
About the Author: Joseph Hammond
Joseph Hammond is a journalist and former Fulbright public policy fellow with the government of Malawi. He has reported from four continents on topics ranging from the Arab Spring to the M23 rebellion in the Eastern Congo, with bylines in Newsweek, The Washington Post, Forbes, and more. He has contributed to The National Interest since 2016. Hammond has been a recipient of fellowships organized by several think tanks, including the National Endowment for Democracy, the Atlantic Council of the United States, the Heinrich Boll Stiftung North America Foundation, and the Policy Center for the New South’s Atlantic Dialogue.
Image: DOERS/shutterstock
