As a collaborative output of different projects including CLEVER, our policy brief Leveraging EU biodiversity policy towards net positive impacts on global biodiversity outlines a science-based strategy to align EU policies for global biodiversity restoration. It addresses the insufficient progress toward Biodiversity Strategy 2030 targets caused by unsustainable practices, climate change, and geopolitical tensions. The policy brief emphasizes that consumption in the EU drives environmental pressures abroad, thus requiring stronger trade regulations like the EU Deforestation Regulation. Key recommendations for EU decision makers are:
Use detailed land-use planning to guide local environmental policies while expanding trade and financial rules to safeguard diverse ecosystems and support conservation efforts in other countries.
Prioritize biodiversity by making it a core requirement in all domestic land-use and economic planning while ensuring international trade and finance agreements carry the same environmental weight as economic goals.
Build fair, inclusive partnerships by involving local stakeholders in policy planning and working directly with major trading countries to share the responsibility and benefits of protecting nature.
On June 4–5, 2025, over 150 participants gathered in Brussels and online for a two-day event hosted by 11 projects funded under the Horizon Europe Cluster on Transformative Change for Biodiversity.
CLEVER, BioValue, RAINFOREST, BAMBOO, BEDROCK, BioAgora, BIONEXT, BIOTraCes and TRANSPATH,PLANET4B and DAISY joined forces to gather and offer insights from each project. The event created a shared space to reflect on how biodiversity can be more effectively integrated into public policymaking, spatial planning, and socio-economic systems.
Rather than presenting isolated results, the projects explored the deeper shifts needed to address the biodiversity crisis. Panelists were invited to share their insights, to connect science-related results with policy representations at the institutional level. Leading researchers from projects, Maria Rosário Partidario from IST, coordinator of BioValue, and Jan Börner from University of Bonn, coordinator of CLEVER, presented their findings and shared their knowledge, while policymakers and representatives from the European Commission emphasized the central role of biodiversity in the economy, environment, and society. Invitees from the Directorates-General from the European Commission were present, among these, Humberto Rosa (DG ENV), Gilles Doignon (DG R&I) and Anne Teller (Formerly DG ENV).
Through interactive workshops and a policy dialogue session, the event opened a much-needed discussion on how to realign institutions, narratives, and planning frameworks around biodiversity as a core societal value.
Each project also contributed with poster presentations highlighting key insights from their published research, practical case studies, and emerging best practices. These visual materials served to share concrete results and stimulate further discussion among participants, offering an accessible way to engage with the diverse projects’ approaches.
Figure 1: Projects presenting their work within the Transformative Change for Biodiversity initiative
Key Themes Emerging from the Event: From Projects to Systemic Change
From case studies to tools and governance models, the event underscored the importance of working beyond project boundaries. The collective message was clear: tackling biodiversity loss requires systemic thinking, where biodiversity is not treated as an add-on, but as a foundational element in shaping futures.
Sessions highlighted that transformative change cannot succeed without addressing questions of justice, equity, and inclusion. Discussions emphasized the need for more participatory and inclusive planning processes that give voice to diverse communities, especially those most affected by environmental degradation.
Humberto Rosa emphasized: “We can only protect and mainstream biodiversity through enlightened human interest—its role for quality of life, food security, wellbeing, resilience and so much more. Biodiversity has long been a second thought in policy, but things are changing. The EU Green Deal brought momentum; now we need to work for more of society to follow.”
Figure 2: Discussions during a project’s session
Reframing Biodiversity as Opportunity: Integrated Governance for Real Impact
Participants recognized the fragmentation that often hampers biodiversity action. A key takeaway was the necessity for integrated governance—across sectors, scales, and institutions. By aligning environmental goals with economic, social, and territorial agendas, policymakers can unlock synergies and avoid trade-offs.
Throughout the two days, there was a strong call to shift how biodiversity is framed in public discourse. Moving away from narratives of loss and constraint, biodiversity must be communicated as a source of resilience, wellbeing, and long-term prosperity. The language used in policymaking and planning is not neutral—it shapes perception and determines priority.
The two-day gathering marked a significant step toward building a shared understanding of what transformative change for biodiversity entails. It demonstrates the power of collaboration—across projects, disciplines, and sectors—to challenge conventional approaches and to open new avenues for change. As the Horizon Europe projects continue their scientific research work, the momentum generated in Brussels will continue to fuel collective learning and cross-sector innovation for biodiversity.
All key insights, discussions, and outcomes from the event will be consolidated into a white paper, which will serve as a summary of the collective findings and reflections, culminating on policy recommendations. This document will bring together project results, shared lessons, and forward-looking recommendations, contributing to the broader dialogue on transformative change for biodiversity and informing future policy and practice.
The Central African region is home to approximately 80% of Africa’s biodiversity1. Forestry is a significant contributor to the national gross domestic product of these countries. Despite progress in regulating logging and promoting sustainable resource management2,3, timber value chains in the region continue to face multiple challenges—ranging from technical and political complexities to issues of transparency and unsustainable practices4,5.
Photo credit: Juan Manuel Vargas.
The UNEP-WCMC team travelled to Yaoundé (Cameroon) and Libreville (Gabon) in October 2024 to work with local partners in two workshops for the Horizon Europe Projects CLEVER and RAINFOREST. The broad objective of these workshops was to contribute to a better understanding of how legality and sustainability can be strengthened along timber value chains in Cameroon and Gabon.
Traveling from the West Coast of Cameroon to the capital Yaoundé, the view of the Congo Basin rainforest through the bus window was striking, as was the sight of logs loaded onto trucks and the long line of vehicles waiting at the port. This direct experience underscored the importance of moving beyond desktop research to engage with local partners to really understand and incorporate on-the-ground realities.
Photo credits: Left (Agenda): Dominique Tessa. Right (Group work): Heli Sihvonen.
Our approach was to engage directly with stakeholders, creating an opportunity for co-design with those most affected by legislation such as the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). We invited stakeholders from ministries, industry, NGOs and research institutions to participate in an open discussion about solutions for deforestation and forest degradation. The goal was to collaboratively validate, shape, and inform our research and project outputs.
Coming from a very different background, it was valuable to hear and incorporate local perspectives. Participants demonstrated a deep understanding of the local context —highlighting incentives, disincentives, challenges, and potential solutions. The discussions revealed that many environmental and economic challenges are surprisingly universal, including issues related to financial incentives and supply chain complexities.
Photo credit: Dominique Tessa.
The UNEP-WCMC CLEVER team is leading the development of an innovative public and private governance toolkit, and these workshops were crucial for gathering insights. A key finding was that stakeholders generally prefer improving existing solutions over creating entirely new approaches. Participants from both workshops recommended enhancing established traceability and certification schemes and aligning them more closely with forestry legislation.
Our key takeaway was that innovative governance solutions can be effective not just through their design, but also through their communication, application, and enforcement. Importantly, innovative solutions do not necessarily need to be complex or overly nuanced.
The workshops were made possible through the support of CLEVER partners —the European Forest Institute (EFI), the University of Dschang, and our local host, FSC Gabon. We extend our sincere thanks for their hard work and local expertise, which were instrumental in making these workshops invaluable. CLEVER is funded by the European Union and UK Research and Innovation, UKRI (UNEP-WCMC’s share) and coordinated by the University of Bonn. We acknowledge the contribution of the EU Horizon project RAINFOREST to the workshops.
By Heli Sihvonen and Juan Manuel Vargas, UNEP-WCMC
Cover photo credit: Dominique Tessa
Literature:
1 P. Mayaux, J.F. Pekel, B. Desclée, F. Donnay, A. Lupi, F. Achard, M. Clerici, C. Bodart, A. Brink, R. Nasi, A. Belward, State and evolution of the African rainforests between 1990 and 2010, Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci. 368 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2012.0300.
2 R. Eba’a Atyi, S. Assembe-Mvondo, G. Lescuyer, P. Cerutti, Impacts of international timber procurement policies on Central Africa’s forestry sector: the case of Cameroon, For. Policy Econ. 32 (2013) 40–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2012.12.006.
4 J.A. Worah, C.M. Yobo, I. AKPACA, D.M. Iponga, S.N. Maghiengha, H.C. Ndoume Engone, Analyse de la gouvernance et de la légalité d’attribution des titres d’exploitation artisanale du bois d’œuvre au Gabon: revue de littérature, Int. J. Progress. Sci. Technol. 16 (2019) 14. https://doi.org/10.52155/ijpsat.v16.2.1014.
5 P.O. Cerutti, J.N. Poufoun, A. Karsenty, R. Eba’a Atyi, R. Nasi, T. Fomete Nembot, The technical and political challenges of the industrial forest sector in Cameroon, Int. For. Rev. 18 (2016) 25–39. https://doi.org/10.1505/146554816819683690.
Deforestation is driving a massive loss of biodiversity, much of it is tied to our consumption of imported products. Many of these products are not directly visible in our daily lives, but they play a huge role in global trade. Think of soybeans used for animal feed, or timber for furniture. The production of these non-food biomass products can directly and indirectly contribute to the destruction of forests and related biodiversity loss. More than ever before, we need media coverage on these issues to bring them to the public’s attention.
The CLEVER and DETECT projects at the CLIMATE ARENA. Photo by Rosa Castañeda.
At the Climate Arena journalism conference in Bologna on 18 October 2024, the CLEVER and DETECT projects joined forces to organise sessions to discuss the effects of global trade on biodiversity with investigative, science, and environmental journalists from all across Europe. The panel‘Climate, Land Use, and Biodiversity from a Systems Thinking Perspective,’ explored the intricate connections between these issues, using Brazil’s soy imports as a key example. Moderated by Rina Tsubaki (EFI), the session featured Prof. Jan Börner (University of Bonn) and Dr. Felipe Nunes (University of Minas Gerais) as the expert speakers on the matter.
Soy is a key ingredient in livestock feed, supporting meat production that ultimately reaches European markets. Prof. Jan Börner said, soy farming in South America has boomed due to scientific advances and infrastructure development. However, this has come at a cost: illegal deforestation, especially in the Amazon. According to Dr. Felipe Nunes, just 2% of private properties account for 60% of illegal deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado. Although much of exports go to China, a significant portion of the soy and meat produced in these areas finds its way to Europe, embedding environmental destruction into our supply chains.
One tool to fight this issue is the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which aims to ensure that only deforestation-free products are sold in Europe. However, opinions are divided on its potential impact. Prof. Börner is skeptical, pointing out that while Europe may purchase deforestation-free soy, it will likely come from other regions in South America, resulting in longer transport routes. Also, global demand will continue driving prices up, making Europe indirectly responsible for deforestation elsewhere. Additionally, countries like China will continue purchasing cheap soy from deforested areas, and many deforestation-linked products, such as timber and meat, are consumed domestically, making them unaffected by the EUDR. Moreover, the EUDR is not always aligned with national policies. In contrast Dr. Nunes sees the EUDR as a potential “game changer” for fighting deforestation and illegality in supply chains. Despite challenges like “leakage” that allows products to bypass regulations, the EUDR may encourage major players like the USA and China to implement similar standards. By enhancing verification of environmental and social criteria, the EUDR aims to ensure compliance and foster sustainability in global supply chains.
Regulation is important, but tools like Trase and SeloVerde are also essential for tracing commodity origins and identifying illegal practices. These tools can enhance supply chain transparency and help researchers, policymakers, and journalists hold businesses accountable. During the‘Tracing Supply Chains’workshop, Dr. Nunes was joined by Mark Titley from Global Canopy to demonstrate how these tools can be used to investigate global supply chains, using the example of Brazilian soy entering EU markets.
‘Tracing Supply Chains’ workshop. Photo by Rosa Castañeda.
Trase has been popularly used by a number of investigative journalists in stories on the UK chicken import by the Guardian and Palm Oil trade by the New York Times. But it is still an underexplored tool for many. At the same time, not much has been explored regarding what exactly happens at the farm level. This is where SeloVerde can come in to support journalists interested in tracking deforestation-risk supply chains at the farm-level. It can help look into a specific farm to identify the cases of illegal logging and land conversion for agricultural crops.
Ultimately, tackling deforestation requires not just pinpointing what happens on a specific commodity or location. It needs a holistic approach that addresses not just individual commodities like soy but the broader systems of trade and land use. More access to data and tools can help expose problematic practices and potentially reduce the harmful impacts of our consumption on the planet’s biodiversity.
Explore additional resources on global commodity trade through this drive.
We posed key questions to the speakers from the Climate Arena panel and workshop. Watch the interviews summary here:
You can also watch full interviews with Jan Börner, Felipe Nunes, and Mark Titley to learn more about the CLEVER project, as well as the SeloVerde and Trase tools, and how governments and civil society can collaborate to mitigate the environmental impacts of global trade.
Written by Rosa Castañeda and Rina Tsubaki from the European Forest Institute.
On September 24th, Jan Börner (University of Bonn) gave an invited talk on “Challenges and Opportunities for forest conservation under the EU Regulation on Deforestation-free Products” at the Plenary of the German Stakeholder Platform for Protein-based Feed (FONEI) in Berlin. FONEI brings together representatives from civil society, government, and industry around topics such as alternative protein sources and deforestation-free animal feed production. The presentation was informed, among others, by recent CLEVER research, such as “The EU regulation on deforestation-free products at odds with forest conservation in Brazil?” A commentary.“
The tuk tuk carried us through the narrow alleys of New Delhi, weaving its way to the National Agricultural Science Complex. This was our daily routine as we navigated the vibrant streets of the city during the six-day International Conference of Agricultural Economics (ICAE) 2024.
Vibrant streets of New Delhi (Photos by Uyen Tran)
ICAE, held every three years by the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE), is an occasion for researchers and policy-makers to come together and exchange ideas. The theme of this 32nd conference was “Transformation towards sustainable Agri-Food Systems”, covering a wide range of topics from environmental and social externalities of value chains and trade networks to the true cost of food.
Conference avenue & organized symposium (Pictures from ICAE)
The CLEVER team from the University of Bonn, including Jan Börner, Gustavo Magalhaes de Oliveira, and Uyen Tran, actively participated in the ICAE conference. Jan Börner and Gustavo Magalhaes organized a symposium titled “The New EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products: Bold Move or Toothless Tiger?” The session featured insights from Eva Boonaert and Janne Bemelmans (KU Leuven), Nelson Villoria (Kansas State University), and Antonio Scognamillo (FAO). Gustavo Magalhaes presented a paper, co-authored with Yaghoob Jafari, Jan Börner, and Sven Wunder, titled “The Effects of the Amazon Soy Moratorium on the Supply-side Stickiness of Soy Traders in Brazil” (work in progress). Additionally, Uyen Tran shared findings from her study, “Impacts of Non-Tariff Measures in Freshwater Aquaculture Production,” in a session on standards in agri-food systems.
Uyen Tran’s presentation at ICAE.
This conference was a great opportunity to gain more insights about the ongoing efforts to evaluate various trade policies and environmental protection measures – topics that are closely connected with the CLEVER project. It was also a great reminder of the importance of collaboration in tackling today’s challenges.
Andrea Pacheco, CLEVER postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bonn, was recently in Kathmandu, Nepal participating as an author of the upcoming Nexus Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) that took place from February 5-11.
The assessment is synthesizing “the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food, health, and climate”, and the complementarities and interdependencies that exist across these elements in the efforts to achieve globally agreed goals such as the Sustainable Development Goals or the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The meeting was hosted by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), and authors had the opportunity to learn about their work across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, as well as explore the culturally vibrant city of Kathmandu.
Photo provided by Andrea Pacheco.Photo provided by Andrea Pacheco.
Andrea participates in the assessment as a part of IPBES’ fellowship programme, which “provides an opportunity for outstanding early-career individuals from all backgrounds and disciplines” as a part of IPBES’ broader capacity-building work. She works specifically on Chapter 6, “Options for delivering sustainable approaches to public and private finance for biodiversity-related elements of the nexus” and makes specific contributions in Chapter 5.3 “Options for delivering sustainable approaches to elements of the nexus (food systems)”. CLEVER researcher, David Leclére also participates as a lead author in the assessment in Chapter 3, “Future interactions across the nexus”.
Authors of the Nexus Assessment are now in the final stages of writing the assessment, which will be published at the end of 2024, pending approval of the Summary for Policymakers during the IPBES 11, taking place in Windhoek, Namibia December 10-16th.
Authors of the IPBES Nexus Assessment present at the Third Author Meeting (photo courtesy of Tiff van Huysen).
CLEVER researcher Dr. Neus Escobar, from BC3, recently won the Audience Award at the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Conference, held in conjunction with the Spanish Presidency of the EU on 14-15 November 2023 in Toledo (Spain). She was among the 15 finalists selected from 170 MSCA projects to introduce her research and showcase the diversity of academic careers.
Neus presented her pitch ‘Tracking Chocolate to Fight Deforestation’ in the category ‘Exposure to Policy Making’. This topic summarized research insights from the MSCA-IF GIFTS (Global Interlinkages in Food Trade Systems) project. GIFTS is hosted by the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3), which is also a partner in CLEVER, contributing to the development of indicators for biodiversity footprints and sustainability trade-off analysis.
What is the focus of your research in the GIFTS project? And what is the project about in general?
GIFTS is focused on the development of a global database that tracks supply chains of agri-food products across years, from the producing country to the country where consumption takes place, by distinguishing between food, feed, and non-food uses. The database is called Agro-SCAN and is entirely based on FAOSTAT data and includes 640 products, more than any similar database, and 181 countries. The objective of GIFTS is specifically to improve and expand Agro-SCAN in collaboration with FAO for estimating environmental footprints of food consumption. Ultimately, GIFTS aims to inform consumers’ decisions towards more resilient and sustainable agri-food systems in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals.
What did you find so interesting about researching chocolate?
What makes chocolate an interesting case study is that many countries that are major chocolate producers do not produce cocoa beans. In fact, all cocoa bean production is concentrated in the tropics. This highlights the importance of international trade in securing global chocolate production, resulting in complex and interconnected supply chains. At the same time, this translates into large cocoa bean areas being virtually exported, for example, almost 90% of the total area harvested in 2020. The largest land footprints per capita are found in high-income countries such as Switzerland, Germany, United Kingdom, or Canada.
Why is it important to be aware of the environmental impacts of the products we use?
Our results show that global agri-food markets are strongly interconnected and that our decisions, as consumers, can generate impacts in very distant places, such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, environmental pollution, or loss of rural livelihoods. The database at the core of GIFTS helps increase transparency in global supply chains, meaning food and feed consumers can know the origin of the raw materials used, the countries involved and the impacts generated. This information is valuable to understand the intensity of the impact of our consumption and the benefits of alternative options.
What is the relationship between GIFTS and CLEVER?
GIFTS and CLEVER are very related and in continuous exchange, as both share BC3 researchers, tackle similar topics (trade mediated-impacts and sustainability analysis), and even started in the same date. Both GIFTS and CLEVER aim to provide quantitative evidence for informing policymaking towards cleaner and transparent supply chains. After GIFTS, I will join CLEVER for the completion of the analyzes on the impacts and trade-offs from several policy strategies aimed at preventing biodiversity loss.
How can your research in GIFTS help the CLEVER project?
GIFTS can complement supply chain analyzes for CLEVER in WP6 (Representing ecological footprints and policy-trade-biodiversity linkages in global modelling), as the database being developed includes quantities of products and co-products traded across supply chains, from producing countries to final demand. This can provide a global picture about the origin of the raw materials used for the supply chains of interest in CLEVER. This is also helpful to identify the stakeholders involved in production and trade of CLEVER commodities, and the subsequent impacts of biodiversity loss. At the same time, the indicators generated by CLEVER can ultimately be implemented in the Agro-SCAN database to measure biodiversity loss footprints of food, feed and non-food consumption, which includes industrial uses of biomass.
Every year, the University of Bonn in Germany celebrates its international projects and partnerships with renowned universities around the world at the event called “International Days”. The University is closely linked to over 70 universities on all continents within the framework of cross-faculty cooperation agreements. Partnerships with Ghana and Brazil were particularly highlighted in the International Days 2023, which took place at the University on October 20th. The Vice-Rectorate for International Affairs invited the PhD candidate Fernanda Martinelli, to represent the EU-funded project CLEVER: Creating leverage to enhance biodiversity outcomes of global biomass trade, as one of the partner projects with a Brazilian university. At the occasion, she discussed with other students and researchers the current challenges and future opportunities in international cooperation – especially with partners from the so-called “Global South”, and offered a comprehensive information about perspectives from both sides. Find more about the International Days from University of Bonn here.
The past decades have seen a global increase in the production and trade in agricultural and forest-based commodities linked to deforestation and other socio-environmental risks. Different forms of governance have emerged to attempt regulation of these commodity supply chains to halt deforestation and ensure sustainable land-use change. In June 2023, the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) was adopted, requiring EU companies to ensure that certain products imported to the EU are not associated with deforestation. The EUDR aims to minimize the EU’s contribution to deforestation and forest degradation worldwide. As such, it is intended to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss as stipulated in the European Green Deal. As the EUDR enters into force, many questions arise as to how the value chains of major globally traded commodities can become compliant.
With this in mind, the CLEVER and RAINFOREST partner Bonn.Realis organized a workshop called “Toward compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation: Criteria, Tools, and Open Questions” on November 13, 2023, joining participants both online and in person, at the Center for Development Research, University of Bonn. More than 60 stakeholders joined, mainly from Germany, Brazil, but also other international actors, representing all sectors – public authorities, private companies, certifiers, NGOs, company associations, and research organizations. The workshop aimed at providing a space for discussion and exchange, identifying knowledge and capacity gaps to comply with the EUDR as well as opportunities for future collaboration toward improving supply chain sustainability. The workshop focused on Brazil as a key supplier to the EU and three specific commodities covered by the EUDR (i.e. beef, soy, and wood).
Under Chatham House Rules, participants discussed two fundamental questions:
What challenges must be overcome in the three value chains in order to achieve compliance with the EUDR and related due diligence policies?
Which tools and support mechanisms are in place or being developed to overcome these challenges, especially as regards IT solutions, certification schemes, and the mutual recognition of administrative and control systems?
The workshop provided a solid overview of what operators in both regions as well as competent enforcement authorities in the EU can build on in terms of traceability systems and tools for compliance. We also gathered valuable information on areas where stakeholders require further clarification and guidance to align effectively with the new regulatory conditions. Questions around traceability, risk assessment and mitigating measures, supply chain segregation, and transaction costs dominated the debates in separate breakout groups for the three commodities. Considerable uncertainty exists as to the quality standards that competent national authorities and third parties may apply to evaluate future due diligence efforts of operators. There was also an emphasis on a pre-competitive collaboration among operators and service providers in order to generate accessible traceability solutions for all actors of the supply chain.
In sum, we have learned a lot about the challenges that key stakeholders involved in the implementation of the EUDR still need to overcome until its rules will apply from 30th of December 2024. A summary paper synthesizing the workshop’s main results will be prepared and some authorities have already signaled interest in feeding these results into ongoing consultations. Beyond contributing to the implementation process, these results will also feed into CLEVER’s research on policy analysis (WP4, 5) and stakeholder engagement (WP8).
Written by Rafaella Ferraz Ziegert (UFR) and Jan Börner (UBO).
