Latest ETFRN News on Zero deforestation: A commitment to change

Latest ETFRN News on Zero deforestation: A commitment to change

the Netherlands - 06 June, 2017

Several hundred companies, governments, and civil society and non-governmental organizations have committed to zero deforestation initiatives. However, all may not have fully realized the enormousness and complexity of the challenge in committing to zero deforestation, and it appears that some did not know exactly what they stepped into. What is clear though, is that this endeavour is very much at the initial stage of development, and early work and experimentation is showing the way to putting in place what is needed.

This silver anniversary edition of ETFRN News brings together 40 contributions from 100 experts and practitioners. They share their experiences, and suggest ways to improve the effectiveness of zero deforestation commitments through public-private collaboration and other models.

ETFRNNews58-1.jpgETFRN News 58 presents different views across a range of commodity value chains, including how companies and smallholders are working together to build deforestation free supply chains. It reviews publicly announced commitments and on-the-ground impacts, and how implementation challenges are overcome. It looks at how socio-economic and environmental impacts and trade-offs are addressed, links between private commitments and government policy and regulations, and how transnational and civil-society initiatives help or hinder them.

From the different contributions in this book, common threads are drawn, woven into the following eight key issues, that if implemented, can enhance the implementation, effectiveness and impact of pledges, and increase the likelihood of existing and future zero deforestation commitments being met.

  1. Agree on clear definitions and standards – what is a forest, and deforestation, and, what are acceptable credible and coherent standards for use across different commodities?
  2. National and local governments to become more involved – as failure to address broader governance challenges may reduce the positive impact of private sector zero-deforestation initiatives.
  3. More corporate transparency and accountability – must become the norm for monitoring and reporting progress, and not just regarding zero deforestation commitments.
  4. Support for smallholder empowerment – through capacity building and technical assistance, so millions of small producers can become effective players.
  5. Civil society to continue to advocate for change – as consumers and global citizens, for corporations to take effective action.
  6. Advocate for jurisdictional action in support of national goals – required to complement corporate supply chain initiatives, and helps to fulfil more inclusive, sustainable development criteria.
  7. Include alternative business and financing models – that better take into account existing realities, and local systems of governance and tenure.
  8. Invite broad stakeholder involvement – in the inclusive platforms that are clearly needed for progress, as no single solution can achieve the desired impact.

The ETFRN news 58 can be downloaded here

Individual articles can be downloaded in the ETFRN website

This edition of ETFRN News is produced on behalf of ETFRN by Tropenbos International, in partnership with the European Forest Institute’s EU FLEGT and REDD facilities, GIZ – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH, CIFOR – the Center for International Forestry Research, Tropical Forest Alliance - TFA2020, and the Government of the Netherlands, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Economic Affairs.

This publication was produced with the financial assistance of the European Forest Institute’s EU FLEGT and REDD facilities, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Government of the Netherlands.