As the world marks Earth Day, the Forest Positive Coalition and IDH -The Sustainable Trade Initiative, share five elements of success for landscape-level programs working to restore and protect forests.
It is said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions and the same is true when it comes to international efforts to halt deforestation. This week, the IPCC released its Sixth Assessment Report, once again highlighting the key role of forest protection in mitigating climate change and adapting to its impacts. Despite decades of such advice and well-meaning policy, we’re still losing our remaining forests at an alarming rate.
In Côte d’Ivoire, traditional cocoa farming involved cutting down trees to increase sunlight. This not only accelerates climate change, but also negatively impacts cocoa yields. Shade management is better for cocoa tree life expectancy, quality of beans and soil health. A highly biodiverse cocoa farm has been shown to be drought, disease, and pest resilient.
Where others see things falling apart, I see the way being cleared to rebuild our systems in a new and healthy way. We need leaders who have the courage to step out of the rigid belief system of what business should be.
In recent decades, palm oil and soy have grown to dominate the global production mix and global consumption of edible oils by volume. India - the world’s largest importer of vegetable oils - has a unique opportunity and agency to address the environmental impact of vegetable oil consumption.
