We're currently losing an area of rainforest around the size of 3 football pitches every minute in the Amazon. The main drivers are agricultural expansion, cattle ranching, the low perceived economic value of standing forests, illegal logging, and new roads, further exacerbated by weak governance and enforcement. Tackling these challenges is not an easy task, thus in addition to multi-stakeholder approaches, and policy advocacy, we also work along supply chains to improve practices.
We developed expertise in low emission production systems such as Forest Stewardship Council certified timber, non-timber forest production chains (i.e. açaí, wild rubber, brazil nuts), better management practices for cattle and agriculture, and opening up of new markets for forest products. We have also helped to stop soybean production from causing deforestation in the Amazon – the Soy Moratorium is a pact between the productive sector, government, and civil society that prevents the sale of soybeans from deforested areas of the Amazon and we are part of this initiative.
Ultimately, we intend to make forests, low carbon agriculture, and sustainable fisheries more profitable than unsustainable practices and land conversion.