Mapping and Monitoring Zero-Deforestation Commitments

Abstract

A growing number of companies have announced zero-deforestation commitments (ZDCs) to eliminate commodities produced at the expense of forests from their supply chains. Translating these aspirational goals into forest conservation requires forest mapping and monitoring (M&M) systems that are technically adequate and therefore credible, salient so that they address the needs of decision makers, legitimate in that they are fair and unbiased, and scalable over space and time. We identify 12 attributes of M&M that contribute to these goals and assess how two prominent ZDC programs, the Amazon Soy Moratorium and the High Carbon Stock Approach, integrate these attributes into their M&M systems. These programs prioritize different attributes, highlighting fundamental trade-offs in M&M design. Rather than prescribe a one-size-fits-all solution, we provide policymakers and practitioners with guidance on the design of ZDC M&M systems that fit their specific use case and that may contribute to more effective implementation of ZDCs.

How well does the implementation of corporate zero-deforestation commitments in Indonesia align with aims to halt deforestation and include smallholders?

“…Effective ZDCs require stringent commitments with clear targets about what is to be conserved and by when, implementation strategies, functional and transparent mapping and monitoring, and verification [12,38]. The benefits are reinforced if companies that control a significant share of global commodity markets collectively target areas at risk of commodity-driven deforestation [12].…”

Oil palm and rubber-driven deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia (2000-2021) and efforts toward zero deforestation commitments

“…On the other hand, halting deforestation in commodity supply chains in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia, is crucial to achieving the goals of both climate action and sustainable development. Recently, global interest in reducing deforestation has gained momentum; governments, civil society organizations, and corporate groups have pledged and set time-bound targets for achieving "zero deforestation" from the agriculture and forestry sector by 2030 (Austin et al 2021). These pledges are known as "zero deforestation commitments", initially signed in 2010 by the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) to achieve zero net deforestation in key commodity sectors like oil palm and rubber in Southeast Asia by 2020 (Consumer Goods Forum 2017; Newton and Benzeev 2018; Pendrill et al 2019).…”

“…These pledges are known as "zero deforestation commitments", initially signed in 2010 by the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) to achieve zero net deforestation in key commodity sectors like oil palm and rubber in Southeast Asia by 2020 (Consumer Goods Forum 2017; Newton and Benzeev 2018; Pendrill et al 2019). In the latest, around 500 companies have established sustainable commodity supply chain commitments, and more than 100 companies have pledged to announce zero deforestation commitments at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow (Scotland) in 2021 to eliminate commodities produced at the expense of forests from their supply chains (Rothrock et al 2019;Austin et al 2021).…”

Mapping forest cover change in relation to oil palm commodities development using Google Earth Engine in the Leuser Ecosystem

“…The utilization of open-source remote sensing data and cloud computing platforms offers a costeffective and efficient solution for mapping oil palm land cover, presenting a valuable alternative to conventional monitoring approaches [6]. The information obtained through land use change analysis can be utilized to evaluate the success of no deforestation commitments [7], particularly within the Leuser Ecosystem region. The study uses The Systematic Error Quantification method used in this analysis utilizes a combination of several satellite images, such as Sentinel-1 and Landsat 8, available on the Google Earth Engine platform [6].…”