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On the eve of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, nine tropical forest nations gathered under the Forest & Climate Leaders’ Partnership to launch the Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment, the first global pledge to secure additional land under Indigenous communities’ control.

The commitment aims to formally recognize 80 million hectares by 2030, with ambitions to double that to 160 million, strengthening the rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and Afro-descendant groups living in tropical forests.

These territories store nearly 30 percent of the world’s terrestrial carbon, yet deforestation swallowed 4.1 million hectares of tropical forest in 2024 alone.

Hosted in the Amazon, the planet’s lungs now scarred by fires and illegal logging, COP30, branded the “COP of the Amazon”, placed land tenure at the center of climate justice. The question is whether pledges on paper will translate to titles on the ground.

From the Amazon to Africa

For Africa’s forest nations, the Amazon’s fight mirrors their own. Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), both signatories, joined Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Fiji, Indonesia, and Pakistan in committing to national land-recognition targets backed by policy reform and access to finance.

Across the Congo Basin, communities play the same guardian role as Amazonian tribes, defending ecosystems that regulate rainfall and biodiversity.

Yet much of this land remains untitled. Recognizing customary ownership could secure livelihoods for the 60 percent of Africans who depend on community-managed lands.

The Mechanics and the Money

The new pledge builds on the 2021 COP26 Forest Tenure Pledge, which mobilized $1.7 billion but delivered slowly, leaving 1.3 billion hectares of traditional lands without title. Its successor, Forest and Land Tenure Pledge 2.0, brings $1.8 billion from 35 governments and philanthropies.

At least 20 percent of payments under the Tropical Forest Forever Facility will go directly to communities. Brazil alone plans to title 1.2 million hectares by 2026, focusing on high-deforestation zones.

Properly implemented, such tenure reforms could prevent emissions equal to the EU’s annual output while allowing communities to earn from forest products and carbon credits.

Voices from the Frontlines

“Advancing tenure rights and finance for Indigenous Peoples go hand in hand,”
said Sonia Guajajara, Brazil’s Minister of Indigenous Peoples

From Latin America to Africa, leaders echoed her call for equity and funding. Rukka Sombolinggi, of Indonesia’s AMAN network, arrived in Belém after a 3,000 km Amazon River journey, saying Indigenous leaders must “gain visibility as we guard the world’s biodiversity.”

For Gregoria Jimenez of Honduras’ ODECO, inclusion of Afro-descendant groups was historic: “We seek specific mechanisms for binding participation in energy-transition projects.” Her plea resonates in Africa, where coastal and forest communities face similar exclusion.

Eileen Mairena Cunningham, a Guna delegate, urged accountability, saying,

“Words should become tangible commitments… Climate action must do good, not merely avoid harm.”

And Nonette Royo, of the Tenure Facility, linked rights to opportunity: “Land titles allow communities to get financing and undertake initiatives such as harvesting fruits and collecting carbon credits.”

Challenges and African Opportunities

Despite optimism, contradictions remain. Brazil’s recent Amazon oil approvals and the clearing of 100,000 trees for COP access roads drew criticism. Globally, 1.3 billion hectares remain untitled, leaving communities exposed to land grabs.

For Africa, implementation will demand political will and transparency. Yet momentum is visible: regional partnerships like Brazil’s Amazon Legal Hub could inspire Congo Basin or East African collaborations linking tenure, bioeconomy, and carbon markets.

With Tanzania and DRC already involved, countries such as Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana could adapt similar frameworks to secure pastoral and forest lands, turning community stewardship into measurable climate assets.

Roots for a Regreening World

The Land Tenure Pledge may not headline COP30, but it anchors every other promise. As President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said,

“The declarations on integrated fire management and securing Indigenous land tenure renew our commitment to forest preservation. No country can face the climate crisis alone.”

For African nations, the message is clear: true climate justice begins with sovereignty over soil. If the pledge delivers its 160-million-hectare goal, it could reshape how both continents share stewardship of the planet’s lungs, from the Amazon to the Congo Basin.

As the rains subside in Belém, the hope is that this time, the world listens to its forest keepers and finally turns promises into protected ground.