Rare at COP30 | Rare

Putting people and nature at the heart of climate action and finance 

From November 10–21, 2025, 56,000 delegates from more than 200 countries gathered in Belém, Brazil, for COP30—ten years after the Paris Agreement. Grounded in the Tupi-Guarani concept of mutirão (“collective effort”), this COP focused on shifting from pledges to implementation to keep 1.5°C within reach while ensuring a just, equitable transition. With historic participation from Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and civil society, COP30 will be remembered as the “People’s COP.”  Beyond the negotiations, Rare and Coastal 500—a network of mayors and local leaders committed to thriving coastal communities and ecosystems—helped shape the first Global Climate Action Agenda, demonstrating how climate commitments are translating into real delivery through cross-sector collaboration. Rare’s engagement centered on advancing political and financial support for locally led and nature-based climate solutions, including the critical role of Amazon mangroves. This recap highlights key moments from Rare’s engagement with diverse stakeholders across nearly 40 events.

Questions about Rare at COP30? Email Emily Goodwin – egoodwin@rare.org

ELEVATING MANGROVE ACTION ON THE AMAZON COAST

As countries work to align the ocean and climate agendas, coastal ecosystems including mangroves offer a powerful opportunity to advance climate action, ocean protection and blue economy targets. At COP30, Amapá state joined the governments of Pará and Maranhão states in endorsing The Mangrove Breakthrough – a collective commitment to safeguard the world’s largest continuous mangrove area along the Amazon Coast. They joined over 40 other national and subnational governments in advancing the protection of 15 million hectares of mangroves by 2030.  

Mangrove Breakthrough Ministerial: Mobilizing Global Leadership and Large-Scale Finance
At this event, leaders from governments, financial institutions, and civil society profiled the importance of mangroves in building resilient communities and economies. Rare led the dialogue Action from the Ground: Turning Finance and Policy into Impact, moderated by Rare President Caleb McClennen with local leaders from Brazil, Indonesia, and Fiji. Read more about the event, and see reflections from the president of the Mothers of the Mangroves association, Renilde Piedade da Silva. 

High-Level Dinner: The Amazon Coast and the Mangrove Breakthrough
Rare, together with Conservation International Brazil, High Level Climate Champions, Brazilian Ministry of Environment and Climate, hosted a celebratory dinner focused on Brazil’s leadership in advancing the Mangrove Breakthrough, welcoming new endorsements, and strengthening partnerships between national, subnational, and community actors for mangrove conservation and coastal climate resilience.  

Mothers of the Mangrove at COP30
Representatives from the the Mothers of the Mangrove joined Rare staff throughout COP30 to profile the work of the network on climate resilience for coastal communities, strengthening local livelihoods, preserving traditional and cultural practices, and building local economies.
Read more about the Mothers of the Mangrove here.   

LOCAL LEADERSHIP TO ADVANCE CLIMATE ACTION

COP30 was defined by the unprecedented presence and leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. A central tenant of local leadership and multilevel governance ran throughout Rare’s programming at COP30, with our work with Coastal 500 taking center stage.

Pre-COP30 Local Leaders Forum in Rio
Hosted by the COP30 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies, the COP30 Local Leaders Forum took place ahead of COP30 in Rio de Janeiro. The event positioned Coastal 500 municipalities as essential partners in the global climate agenda, complementing major cities in advancing resilience solutions. Five local leaders represented Rare and Coastal 500 at the only coastal and nature-focused event of the official Forum agenda, which showcased how mayors are advancing nature-based, collaborative solutions that link global ambition with local action. Following the Local Leaders Forum, Coastal 500 mayors reflected on their experiences and shared a collective statement reaffirming their commitment to climate and ocean resilience.

Local Leadership as part of the Global Climate Action Agenda
Rare helped shape the themes of ocean action and local leadership as part of the COP30 Global Climate Action Agenda, Coastal 500’s bold commitment to deliver on-ground action to accelerate conservation and restoration of critical coastal and marine ecosystems by mobilizing local governments was featured as part of the ocean highlights from the Global Climate Action Agenda at COP30 – Outcomes Report.  

At the event Global Mutirão for the Ocean: Accelerating the Ocean Breakthroughs, Mayor Hamilton Brito shared how Coastal 500 is part of the collective action for the ocean and called for global finance to reach the frontlines of climate action.  Read the ENB event summary here.  

Amazonian coastal communities are the guardians of our territory. We are the ones who take care of the rivers, the mangroves, and the biodiversity. Supporting these communities means guaranteeing the preservation of the Amazon for the whole world.”

– Hamilton Brito, Mayor of Curuçá, Pará, Brazil, and member of Coastal 500 

ALIGNING THE CLIMATE, BIODIVERSITY & OCEAN AGENDAS

As the first COP in the heart of the Amazon, nature & ocean action played a central role throughout COP30.  Building on the outcomes at UNOC3 earlier this year, COP30 focused on the synergies between the climate, biodiversity, and ocean agendas. Ocean action played a central role throughout COP30, with a growing number of countries integrating ocean-based solutions into their national climate commitments.  

As part of the 4th Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change, Coastal 500 Mayor Estrela Nogueira of Augusto Corrêa, Brazil presented as part of the high-level COP30 Ministerial Roundtable on Cities, Nature and Climate, which served as a key milestone in advancing the integration of urban, biodiversity, and climate agendas and bridging the gap from national to local, including strengthening climate finance mechanisms to reach subnational governments. See highlights from Mayor Nogueira’s social media and read the event summary document here.  

The five Ocean Breakthroughs launched a collective and coordinated Plan to Accelerate Solutions to scale implementation across the five strategic areas – marine conservation, aquatic food, ocean renewable energy, shipping, and coastal tourism – which sit at the crossroads of all major challenges facing humanity. The engagement of local governments and local communities stood out as a key element in the plan.  

In recognition of coastal communities, who are on not only on the frontlines of climate impacts, but are architects of effective solutions, Rare, with partners WWF, IFRC, ORRAA, and Voices for Just Climate Action, launched a report that outlines how policy makers, funders, and the global ocean-climate community can champion their leadership and support equitable, locally-led adaptation at scale. Read the full report: Climate, Coasts and Communities: Scaling Nature-based Climate Solutions for Resilient Coastal Ecosystems.  

If Belém becomes the COP where the world finally listens to and invests in frontline communities, then the Amazon Coast will not just host the world – it will help save it.

– Monique Galvão, Rare VP of Brazil

EQUITABLE FOOD SYSTEMS FROM LAND TO SEA

The agriculture and food systems agenda at COP30 was broad-reaching and showcased the importance of mobilizing resources to expand agroecology, conservation, and restoration across agrifood systems – from land to sea.   

Rare was recognized at the SB COP Case Awards for connecting technology and community leadership for climate resilience. Rare’s AI project,  Agent Tierra: Recommendations for Regenerative Farming Starting in Colombia, was selected and recognized at the SB COP Case Awards under the category “Green Jobs and Skills.” Read more about Agent Tierra. 

COP30 Dinner Dialogue — From Mangroves to Mountains: Tech-driven Community Power for Climate Resilience and Sustainable Livelihoods.
Rare, Salesforce, and Accenture co-hosted a dialogue with policymakers, donors, innovators, and thought leaders to explore how technology and cross-sector collaboration can unlock new frontiers for climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods across Latin America. Through real-world stories from Brazil’s Amazon Coast and Colombia’s transition zones, attendees learned how AI and community-driven innovation are transforming global goals into local action. 

ADAPTATION & RESILIENCE TAKES CENTER STAGE

Adaptation and resilience took center stage at COP, but the outcomes fell short of what climate-vulnerable countries and communities urgently need – and expected from COP30. However, there were some wins that deserve celebration and provide next steps for advancing adaptation and resilience. 

A clear win is the decision that calls on countries to at least triple adaptation finance by 2035, to approximately $120 billion per year. The agreement also encourages countries to improve the reporting and tracking of adaptation funds.  

At the event From Ambition to Implementation: Delivering on Ocean Commitments, Coastal 500 Mayor Francisco Queiroz of the municipality of Augusto Corrêa (also known as Estrela Nogueira), delivered remarks on behalf of coastal communities at the COP30 Ocean Ministerial. He emphasized the importance of seeking a balance between protection and, at the same time, ensuring the sustainability of traditional Amazonian peoples.   

As the only local leader invited to speak at this high-level session, Mayor Nogueria called on global policymakers to transform their climate resilience commitments into action by reaching out to the communities leading the work on the ground. Read more about the event from the COP30 Presidency, and view highlights from Mayor Nogueria’s social media.   

“The mangroves of the Amazon coast are the largest protected area of mangroves in the world, and it absorbs six times more carbon than the terrestrial forests. It is cheaper for us to protect it than to recover it. Local leaders and communities have the knowledge to do so, but we need financing and resources to deliver this climate action on the ground.  

– Mayor Francisco Queiroz (also known as Estrela Nogueira), Augusto Corrêa, Brazil and member of Coastal 500  

Rare’s approach to climate resilience

MOVING CLIMATE FINANCE TO THE FRONTLINES

Finance was a backbone of Belém’s implementation agenda. The Presidency’s Baku-to-Belém Roadmap provided discussion frameworks, outlining how public, private, multilateral, and innovative finance must work in tandem to reach the trillions required. 

For more on Rare’s work building financial resilience, read this recent Rare article: Financing the Frontlines: How Inclusive Capital Builds Climate Resilience, and dive into: Beyond Carbon Credits: Demystifying non-carbon market approaches for blue carbon ecosystems. 

 At an event focused on blue economy and ocean finance, hosted by Inter-American Development Bank and the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, Lisa Schindler Murray shared practical examples of Rare and partners creating financial & economic opportunities to support locally led coastal management.  

“At the heart of what we do, Rare is ensuring that nature-based solutions are locally led and community managed. Across our financial products, we’re ensuring the outcomes flow first to the communities that are closest to nature and guarding it on the ground.” 

– Lisa Schindler Murray, Director, Natural Climate Solutions, Rare

In some of the most climate-vulnerable communities on Earth, Rare is advancing climate resilience. Watch these videos to see what life is like on the frontlines of climate change, and how safeguarding nature and empowering local people promises a more resilient future.