Regeneration & Resilience Finance & Investment

Community Roots:
Reforestation Investments Must Center on People

In a time of retreat, resilience means not just holding the line but pushing it forward. The future belongs to those bold enough to plant it.

Brand Provided | By Damien Kuhn | Published 1 month ago | About a 5 minute read

Image: Terraformation

As climate change accelerates, public institutions are wavering. Financial commitments are stalling. Some governments are even rolling back support. But the companies that will thrive in the decade ahead aren’t stepping away from the challenge: They’re stepping up. Because retreat is not resilience — and delay is not strategy.

Even in these confusing, volatile times, the smartest businesses recognize that climate risk is business risk and are doubling down on high-integrity carbon removal. But this goes beyond carbon math: True climate leadership means investing in people — especially in the frontline communities where the stakes are highest and the impact goes furthest.

Take forests: They’re still the most powerful carbon-removal tool we have. But trees alone don’t fix the future. Reforestation without local stewardship fails — economically, environmentally and ethically.

What works are long-term, community-led projects rooted in positive carbon impact and economic resilience. These aren’t just sustainability wins. They’re market-shaping, risk-reducing, brand-building investments.

Reforestation efforts that prioritize people, especially in regions most affected by deforestation and climate change, don’t just work better. They last longer, create shared value; and ensure that carbon benefits are real and measurable.

Many corporate-funded reforestation efforts fail — not because trees weren’t planted, but because the projects ignored a critical factor: The people who depend on and manage these landscapes. Without deep community involvement, forests won’t survive — let alone thrive. If corporate investors want lasting climate impact, they must rethink how they evaluate reforestation projects.

In a time of retreat, corporate resilience means not just holding the line but pushing it forward. The future belongs to those bold enough to plant it.

Forests need more than just trees — they need long-term stewardship

Forests are one of the world’s most powerful carbon sinks, absorbing 7.6 billion metric tons of CO2 annually — outpacing all engineered carbon-removal technologies combined. Yet, the world is losing 10 million hectares of forest every year. Conservation and reforestation are no longer a “nice to have” — they’re a necessity.

However, not all reforestation projects are created equal. Many well-intentioned corporate initiatives have focused on monoculture plantations — large-scale plantings of a single species. While these projects may look impressive on paper, they often degrade soil, deplete water resources and fail to support biodiversity. Worse, they frequently collapse within years — providing no lasting carbon benefits. In fact, a 2019 study in Nature found that nearly half of planned new forests are monoculture tree farms — undermining their long-term climate potential.

The alternative is clear: native, biodiverse forests that restore ecosystems, create resilient carbon sinks, and generate sustainable local livelihoods. But healthy forest ecosystems don’t grow themselves — they require expert forestry, long-term funding and, most importantly, the full participation of the communities that call these landscapes home.

Why corporate reforestation investments must prioritize people

Local communities are the key to ensuring reforestation projects last. In many regions, economic necessity drives deforestation — whether through unsustainable agriculture, logging or land conversion. The only way to reverse this trend is by aligning reforestation efforts with economic opportunity, ensuring that communities see tangible benefits and become stewards of the forest.

High-quality reforestation projects don’t just plant trees; they create sustainable livelihoods. From agroforestry and apiculture to ecotourism and more, these models provide income while preserving biodiversity. Companies funding reforestation must go beyond carbon credits and assess whether their investments create lasting economic resilience for local populations.

Beyond economics, corporate investors must also consider the equity implications of their projects. Marginalized communities — particularly in tropical regions — have borne the brunt of deforestation and climate change. Top-down conservation efforts that exclude local voices risk displacing communities rather than empowering them. With the rise of community-centered carbon projects, there is now a clear blueprint for how to do this right: Projects that share financial benefits fairly, support local governance and integrate community expertise into every stage of the process.

A corporate wake-up call: Fund the right reforestation projects

The reforestation industry is shifting. Investors can no longer afford to fund projects that fail because they ignore the realities of land use, local economies and community governance. Verra’s recently announced Nature Framework provides an emerging standard: Projects should consult at least 50 percent of households within the project area and 20 percent of households within 20 km of the project boundary. These types of rigorous community-engagement standards will separate high-impact projects from short-lived ones.

Corporate sustainability teams must ask tougher questions before funding reforestation:

Does this project prioritize native species and biodiversity over monoculture plantations?
How are local communities directly benefiting — financially and otherwise?
Are the people who depend on this land involved in its restoration and long-term care?

The future of corporate climate action: People-first reforestation

Companies investing in reforestation have a choice: Fund projects that look good temporarily, or invest in forests that will survive and sequester carbon for generations. The difference comes down to one factor — people. Sustainable reforestation means supporting local expertise, ensuring fair compensation and integrating community stewardship into every stage of the project.

The real question isn’t whether companies should support reforestation — it’s whether they’re funding the right kind. Sustainable, native reforestation projects deliver real carbon impact, real biodiversity gains and real economic benefits to local communities. Anything less is a missed opportunity — and a risk.