Why a Community of Practice?
A community of practice (CoP) unites individuals behind a common goal—and in our case that goal is saving the world’s forests.
Uniquely, the Forest Allies CoP brings together diverse stakeholders that would not typically have the opportunity collaborate—from global business leaders to local forest communities and beyond. As a group, we exchange insights and best practices, creating a shared space for inspiration and innovation. When our members leave the workshops, we like to think they take the whole community “hive mind” with them, fully invigorated by new partnerships and perspectives. But don’t take our word for it. Come experience this for yourself.
Sample Agenda
Protecting, conserving, and restoring the world’s remaining intact forest landscapes and key biodiversity areas is critical to meet global climate and nature targets. Yet only a very small percentage of finance reaches local communities and Indigenous peoples who manage over half of the world’s forests. Forest Allies seeks to mobilize investment from the private sector to protect these key areas, but companies lack incentives to invest beyond their supply chains in these important, community managed forests where deforestation and degradation risks are varied and complex.
Day 1:
We will spend the day visiting with two different community partners to hear directly from them about the important roles their forests play in their lives, communities, and enterprises—and how the international community can support their efforts as guardians of the forest. This inspiring experience will be an opportunity to observe the work made possible by our Forest Allies initiative firsthand.
Day 2:
We will convene in multi-stakeholder workshops to engage more deeply on our meeting’s thematic focus: access to finance and partnerships for forest communities. During the first half of our day, we will explore potential incentive structures for the private sector to invest in forest communities and opportunities to advocate for more climate and nature finance to be directed into community enterprises. During the second half of our day, we will shift perspectives to explore community business planning, enterprise development, and how communities can prepare to be “investment ready.”
