Broadening the Perspective of Zero-Deforestation Interventions in Peru by Incorporating Concepts from the Global Value Chain Literature

Ma Eliza J Villarino,Wendy Francesconi,Augusto Carlos Castro-Nunez,Vincent Bax,Raphael Ganzenmüller

doi:10.3390/su132112138

Abstract

Global narratives around the links between deforestation and agricultural commodity production have led to the application of voluntary zero-deforestation agreements between companies, governments, and civil society. The continued tropical deforestation warrants a re-examination of this approach in order to customize its application for a particular location. Our paper contributes to this by exploring the spatial associations between deforestation and the production of cacao, coffee, and oil palm in the Amazon region in Peru. The geographical overlaps between deforestation, and the distribution of these commodity crops, indicate four types of spatial associations: (1) a high degree of deforestation and a high degree of commodity production (high-high); (2) a high degree of deforestation and a low degree of commodity production (high-low); (3) a low degree of deforestation and a high degree of commodity production (low-high); and (4) a low degree of deforestation and a low degree of commodity production (low-low). On the basis of these associations, we present four scenarios in which zero-deforestation supply chain interventions may operate in Peru and argue that broadening the perspective of such interventions by adopting a global value chain lens can improve the use of previously deforested lands, prevent unintended or future deforestation and, in turn, ensure that no forest area is left behind.

Highlights

Agriculture represents the leading driver of tropical deforestation [1] and contributes16–27% to the total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions worldwide [2]
The declaration of intent (DOI) enjoins the establishment of a public-private coalition with multinational companies committed to ambitious zero-deforestation policies, focusing on the design and implementation of the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) practices for the sustainable production of cacao, coffee, biofuels, agrofuels/agroindustry, and cattle ranching, improving the use of lands already deforested, and avoiding new conversions of forest to agriculture
It prompts the question as to how commodity production relates to deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon, as well as what role Zero-deforestation supply chain (ZDSC) initiatives could play in a country where subsistence agriculture and commodity production meant for the domestic market are reported as the main drivers of forest loss [36,37]

Summary

Introduction

Agriculture represents the leading driver of tropical deforestation [1] and contributes16–27% to the total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions worldwide [2]. Agriculture represents the leading driver of tropical deforestation [1] and contributes. Within the last two decades, two major policy tools have emerged to protect tropical forests, based on the prevailing global narratives of what drives deforestation. REDD+, short for “reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries,” is one of them [3]. Mechanisms seek to address deforestation mainly due to low-opportunity-cost agriculture. They do so by providing developing countries with financial rewards for undertaking measurable and verifiable actions to reduce deforestation, known as “results-based payments” [4]. Zero-deforestation supply chain (ZDSC) initiatives are another policy tool

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