Bank of America, Central Africa Forest Initiative, Good Energies Foundation, and UBS Optimus Foundation Support HIFOR Initiative to Conserve High-Integrity Tropical Forests Globally

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is proud to announce that Bank of America, the Central Africa Forest Initiative (CAFI), the Good Energies Foundation, and the UBS Optimus Foundation have made financial commitments to the High Integrity Forest Investment (HIFOR) Initiative. This groundbreaking global financial mechanism aims to accelerate investments to conserve high-integrity tropical forests worldwide. As areas that are relatively undisturbed and undegraded, these forests play a critical role in regulating climate, conserving biodiversity, and supporting the livelihoods of millions of people, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

The HIFOR Initiative has been designed to fill a key gap in global environmental financing by attracting private and public financing to directly invest in the conservation of tropical forests in Latin America, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia that remain healthy and largely undegraded. By targeting areas with high ecological value and minimal human disturbance, the Initiative will help conserve some of the planet’s most vital high-biodiversity ecosystems. The initiative will work closely with local communities, governments, and Indigenous groups to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of the investments.

“We are thrilled to have multi-sector partners support the HIFOR Initiative,” said Robb Menzi, WCS’s Interim President and CEO. “Tropical forests deliver essential benefits for people and the planet. The commitments from Bank of America, CAFI, Good Energies Foundation, and UBS Optimus Foundation signal a turning point in our collective effort to secure the future of these forests.”

High-integrity forests provide vital ecosystem services like regulating water flows, maintaining rainfall patterns, reducing erosion, increasing soil health, providing natural cooling, and serving as habitat for species of conservation concern.

By securing long-term financing, the HIFOR Initiative aims to support conservation efforts that prevent deforestation and forest degradation, enhance local livelihoods, and help countries support biodiversity in line with the Global Biodiversity Framework.

“It is critical that we protect the forests that are still largely intact, rather than wait until they are degraded or deforested and then invest to undo the damage,” said Berta Pesti, Director, Head of Secretariat of the Central Africa Forest Initiative. “Our collaboration will generate data to help define High Value Forests in DRC and HCS/HVC Forests in Congo and Gabon, and inform Land-Use Planning decision-making systems in synergy with processes that CAFI supports through its projects. The HIFOR Initiative represents a groundbreaking approach to scaling up forest conservation and demonstrates the power of multi-sector collaboration in addressing the climate and biodiversity crises. With these commitments, the HIFOR Initiative is poised to drive positive, lasting change for tropical forests and the future of our planet.”

“By focusing on high-integrity tropical forests, the HIFOR Initiative presents an unprecedented opportunity to conserve areas that are crucial for biodiversity conservation and climate regulation,” said Johannes van de Ven, Lead, Forests, Good Energies Foundation. “This partnership will help us scale effective and sustainable conservation models, empowering communities and governments to maintain these critical ecosystems for generations to come.”

“UBS Optimus Foundation contributes funding to the HIFOR initiative, which aims to have a positive long-term impact on high-integrity forests in the Amazon basin,” says Nalini Tarakeshwar, Head of Programs and Impact Transparency, UBS Optimus Foundation. “Accelerating the scale of investments for this multi-stakeholder project can help reduce the negative impact of deforestation on climate and nature, and achieve positive impacts for local communities.”