Long-term conservation of primary forests requires sustained, diversified financing that goes beyond public budgets alone. The financing gap is significant: despite the SEAP region's forest economy being valued at an estimated USD $135–225 billion annually, less than 1% of Official Development Assistance and less than 0.2% of philanthropic capital reaches the forest sector in the region.

Primary forests generate substantial benefits for biodiversity, climate, and communities, yet these benefits remain largely unpriced in markets, making it difficult to generate the revenue streams needed to sustain conservation at scale. Meanwhile, investments that drive deforestation continue to dwarf those supporting conservation- including over USD $160 billion in environmentally harmful subsidies globally each year. Strengthening enabling conditions for investment, improving project readiness, and connecting conservation priorities to innovative financing mechanisms are therefore critical. 

A range of mechanisms can help- from REDD+, which compensates countries and communities for keeping forests standing, to biodiversity credits, which create revenue streams tied to measurable conservation outcomes, alongside trust funds, green bonds, and other blended finance instruments.