Through the Forest Governance, Markets and Climate Phase 2 (FGMC2) programme, NIRAS is supporting the UK FCDO to tackle the underlying drivers of illegal deforestation and promote sustainable, inclusive, and climate-resilient land use across key tropical forest regions. As FCDO’s flagship global forest governance initiative, FGMC2 aims to strengthen governance systems, shift market incentives, and reduce the illegal and unsustainable use of forest resources while delivering benefits for forest-dependent communities.

NIRAS’ Programme Management, Support and Services Team (PMSST) leads on the effective delivery and management of a complex, multi-country portfolio. This includes oversight of a sizable accountable grants portfolio, spanning 23 grants across multiple regions, alongside responsibility for programme-wide monitoring, evaluation and learning and communications.

Running from 2025 to 2030, FGMC2 builds on earlier successes while responding to escalating global pressures linked to climate change, biodiversity loss, and human rights. The PMSST plays a central role in ensuring programme effectiveness, providing integrated technical, financial, and operational oversight across the full grant lifecycle, from early-stage scoping and due diligence through to implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. By strengthening programme coherence and enabling evidence-informed decision-making, the team helps ensure that investments deliver measurable and lasting impact.

Through this integrated support, FGMC2 promotes stronger forest governance, advances legal and sustainable trade in forest products, and reinforces the rights of forest-dependent communities. In doing so, the programme contributes to global efforts to protect forests, reduce emissions, and safeguard biodiversity, while supporting more resilient and inclusive economic development across partner countries.