Southeast Asia and Pacific Forests Investment Conference: Advancing Sustainable Forest and Land-Use Finance
- Grow Asia Communications
- Sep 18
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
The Southeast Asia and Pacific Forests Investment Conference demonstrated strong engagement and meaningful collaboration. Co-led by Grow Asia and IUCN under the GEF-8 Regional Coordination Project, the forum brought together investors, policymakers, and practitioners committed to advancing sustainable forest and land-use solutions across the region.
Showcasing Opportunities for Investment
The conference highlighted a range of investment-ready forestry and agroforestry projects. These initiatives demonstrated practical opportunities for mobilising capital toward landscape restoration, sustainable production systems, and forest conservation efforts.
Exploring Financing Pathways
Participants discussed several mechanisms with potential to strengthen investment flows into forest-positive activities. These included:
REDD+
Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES)
Biodiversity credits
Carbon markets
Blended finance models
The conversations underscored how these approaches could help bridge financing gaps and support long-term sustainability outcomes.
Supporting Communities and Inclusive Models
Speakers also emphasised the importance of financing models that recognise and uplift Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and women-led enterprises. Ensuring that financing reaches these stakeholders was identified as a critical component of building resilient and equitable landscape solutions.
A Shared Takeaway
A central message that emerged from the conference was the need for strong partnerships combined with innovative finance to accelerate forest-positive and climate-resilient landscapes in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Continuing the Momentum
Grow Asia extends appreciation to all partners and teams involved in delivering the conference. The insights and collaboration from this event carried directly into the Grow Asia Investment Forum and beyond, reinforcing the region’s collective commitment to advancing sustainable land-use and forest investments.