Mauritius advances forest financing through national capacity-building workshop

Port Louis, 28–30 July 2025

A national workshop organized by the United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat (UNFFS) in collaboration with the Government of Mauritius brought together over 40 representatives from across sectors to strengthen national capacity for forest financing. The event marks an important step in the country’s efforts to develop a National Forest Financing Strategy (NFFS) aligned with global forest goals and national development priorities.

Building the foundation for forest finance

Forests in Mauritius are critical for biodiversity, water regulation, and local livelihoods, yet they face persistent challenges from land use pressures and limited financing. The workshop aimed to equip national stakeholders with the tools and knowledge to better access and manage forest-related funding.

Held over three days in Port Louis, the workshop featured expert presentations, interactive working group sessions, and cross-sectoral dialogue. It was organized within the framework of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)’s Development Account project for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which supports integrated recovery strategies following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interactive sessions on strategy design

Participants—including officials from forestry, finance, environment, climate, land use, research, and civil society—took part in a structured process to:

• Analyze key challenges and gaps in sustainable forest management (SFM);
• Map priorities in the forest and environmental sectors;
• Identify domestic and international financing sources;
• Align SFM priorities with relevant funding instruments;
• Discuss enabling policy reforms for long-term resource mobilization.

The workshop also introduced participants to the Global Forest Financing Facilitation Network (GFFFN) and international guidelines for pandemic recovery through forest-based solutions.

A diverse and inclusive dialogue

The event drew engagement from government ministries, academia, the private sector, NGOs, and youth representatives. Perspectives ranged from biodiversity conservation and community outreach to private land management and green economy innovation.

The participatory approach ensured that the future national strategy reflects a wide range of interests and builds ownership across institutions. Working groups collaborated to formulate preliminary action plans and project ideas tailored to Mauritius’s needs.

Validation of Mauritius’s national forest financing strategy

Building on this process, the UNFF Secretariat convened a hybrid workshop on 20 August 2025 to validate Mauritius’s draft National Forest Financing Strategy (NFFS). The event gathered 25 experts from government, NGOs, academia, and the private sector.

Discussions focused on options to increase financial flows to forests, including natural resource accounting, a proposed tourism-environmental levy on Rodrigues Island, deforestation offsets, impact investing, and debt-for-nature swaps. Participants also highlighted the importance of outcome-oriented budgeting and access to multilateral funds such as the UNFCCC Adaptation Fund, the African Development Bank’s Climate Change Finance, and the Green Climate Fund.

The workshop concluded with the validation of the NFFS, which provides a roadmap to strengthen the role of forests in Mauritius’s socio-economic and environmental development.

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Read the concept note for more information on the workshop.