Evidence review: Forest conservation
Evidence review: Forest conservation
Forests in developing countries play a critical role as sources of carbon storage and sequestration, regulators of global climate patterns as well as providing homes, resources and a sense of attachment for local communities. Land use change, particularly deforestation, contributes up to 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The GCF finances forestry projects related to both mitigation and adaptation. In terms of mitigation, the GCF has approved forests and land use projects worth over USD1.60 billion over more than 70 projects.
To support the mandate of the IEU in ensuring the GCF remains a learning institution, this evidence review builds on a previous reviews conducted by the IEU to:
- Assess the current evidence base on the effectiveness of selected forest conservation interventions in developing countries across an intervention/outcome framework
- Measure whether selected forest conservation interventions have been effective at achieving desired outcomes at the individual, household, community, firm and/or landscape levels in developing countries
- Assess which factors moderate the effectiveness of these interventions for forest conservation in developing countries
The evidence review will allow the GCF Secretariat and wider actors in climate finance to consider findings on what works in forest conservation within policy, programming and projects.
Key documents
Approach Paper: Evidence review on forest conservation
December 2024
This approach paper, for an evidence gap map (EGM), details the steps and procedures to search, screen, appraise and present the stock of high-quality evidence on interventions, outcomes and impacts of forest conservation measures. Once completed, the EGM will provide a comprehensive overview of existing evidence, highlighting both well-researched areas and gaps. Synthesized findings from robust evidence clusters will support the GCF Secretariat and stakeholders in making informed, evidence-based decisions to guide forest conservation policy and practice.
Evidence Review on Forest Conservation – An Evidence Gap Map
March 2025
This report presents an evidence gap map summarizing the available evidence on certification and land tenure interventions to conserve forests in developing countries. It identifies areas with strong evidence and highlights critical gaps where further research is needed. The map supports decision-making for climate and forest policy by showing where interventions have been studied and what outcomes they influence.
Effectiveness of Certification and Land Tenure Interventions to Conserve Forests
April 2025
This protocol outlines the methodology for an evidence review on the effectiveness of certification and land tenure interventions in conserving forests. It details the research questions, inclusion criteria, search strategy, data extraction and analysis plan. The review aims to inform future decision-making by synthesizing available evidence on how these interventions impact forest conservation outcomes.