Toward compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation: Criteria, Tools, and Open Questions

on November 23, 2023

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 30^th 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).

Photo by Rafaella Ferraz Ziegert (UFR).

Promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable policies

on October 18, 2023

A recent study published in Nature has analyzed the environmental crisis resulting from the undervaluation of nature. This publication emphasizes the pivotal role of understanding diverse values associated with nature when designing policies that promote biodiversity conservation while minimizing economic and social trade-offs.

The study highlights the “values crisis”, a phenomenon rooted in the undue emphasis on economic values in decision-making, neglecting the profound and multifaceted ways in which people treasure the natural world. To tackle this crisis, it advocates for four essential “values-centered approaches”: recognizing the multitude of values, integrating them into policy decisions, reforming existing policies, and reshaping societal norms.

The special issue entitled “Leveraging Nature’s Values for Transformative Change: Insights from the IPBES Values Assessment”, published in Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, follows the Nature publication mentioned above, bringing together 14 articles based on in-depth reviews of different strands of the literature on nature’s values. This review delves into the fundamental role of nature in shaping policy decisions, drawing insights from the IPBES Values Assessment .

In the face of the ongoing nature crisis, this special issue is a powerful reminder of the need to reimagine how our value-based decisions influence our relationship with the environment.

This work serves as an invaluable guide for the CLEVER project in designing policies that not only preserve biodiversity but also harmonize with diverse societal values.

Written by BC3

Source of cover image: “Leveraging Nature’s Values for Transformative Change: Insights from the IPBES Values Assessment” – BC3 Basque Centre for Climate Change – Klima Aldaketa Ikergai (bc3research.org)

Towards multidimensional CLEVER biodiversity indicators

on September 25, 2023

Measuring the extent of human-driven impacts on biodiversity is methodologically and practically complex – often, due to the inherent limitations in currently available biodiversity data. CLEVER researchers at the Centre for Remote Sensing (CSR) at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) take on the challenge of using advanced modeling techniques to develop innovative models that estimate current and baseline patterns of biodiversity in CLEVER’s focus regions – South America and Africa. University of Bonn researchers recently visited the CSR in Belo Horizonte to discuss results from these models – as well as potential future uses and applications.

Results thus far suggest that, when comparing differences between baseline models and current biodiversity, there have been major human-driven decreases in both species richness and endemism in southern Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest. Other major decreases in endemism were found particularly along the Patagonia, Africa’s northeastern coast, and the Horn of Africa. Next steps will include technical improvements in the models to improve their predictive capacity and include other dimensions of biodiversity.

We also exchanged ideas and discussed future research questions and applications of the modelled data, including: the analysis of agricultural supply-chains and agri-environmental policies, the pairing of these models with data on land tenure in Brazil, as well as future CLEVER work involving life-cycle analyses and integrated assessment models aiming to estimate biodiversity impacts of different trade-flows.

Written by Andrea Pacheco.

Picture credits: Andrea Pacheco and Britaldo Soares Fliho

Cover photo by josefurlan_pissol/Adobe Stock

Mapping international and local forest and ecosystem-related policies and governance mechanisms

on September 11, 2023

Exciting News! Our CLEVER researchers Laila Berning, Rafaella Ferraz Ziegert, Mathias Cramm and Metodi Sotirov published their latest research. They conducted a comprehensive analysis of forest and ecosystem-related policies and governance mechanisms.

Through extensive research and data analysis, they have compiled a comprehensive Excel database and identified six overarching policy and governance types. These types cover various levels of compulsion, actor participation, and geographical scopes, helping us better understand the regulatory landscape of regulating biomass supply chains for legality and sustainability at international and local levels!

Stay tuned for more insights into a selection of policies and governance mechanisms from the EU, Brazil, Cameroon, and Gabon!

The following research activities will largely focus on the influences of the new EU Regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR). The researchers will see how enterprises, NGOs and state actors react to the EUDR. They will also dive deep into analyzing the role of national policy and governance initiatives from Brazil, Cameroon and Gabon under and beyond the EUDR.

These research activities will help us better understand the unfolding impacts of the EUDR and the implications for deforestation, forest degradation and biodiversity loss. Their insights will support identifying how global agricultural and forest commodity value chains can become more sustainable, both in terms of socio-economic and environmental impacts.

Get all the details here:

Final report: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8328016

Excel database: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8326909

Written by Laila Berning – University of Freiburg

Image by witsarut/AdobeStock

New paper on corporate accountability in commodity supply chains under the EU Deforestation Regulation

on June 14, 2023

CLEVER Researchers Laila Berning and Metodi Sotirov (University of Freiburg) published the paper “Hardening corporate accountability in commodity supply chains under the European Union Deforestation Regulation” in the Wiley Regulation & Governance journal.

They analyze the EU Deforestation Regulation by drawing on accountability scholarship and institutionalist theories of regulation. The results show that the Regulation aims to enhance corporate accountability mechanisms through mostly state-based hard regulation of commodity supply chains, reducing the role of market incentives and private regulation.

Read the paper here: https://doi.org/10.1111/rego.12540

Image by Adobe Stock/Stratocaster

Evaluating trade regulations in Forest-risk Commodities to protect biodiversity

on April 20, 2023

Rafaella Ferraz Ziegert and Laila Berning presenting - University of Freiburg

The world’s forests and the biodiversity they harbour are significantly impacted by the global trade in forest and agricultural Forest-risk Commodities (FRCs), commodities whose production or extraction might contribute to deforestation or forest degradation, such as timber and soy. In the context of increasing international and domestic demand for these products, it is essential to understand how trade-offs and synergies of public policy and governance initiatives (e.g. conflicting social, economic and environmental goals) regulating global FRC value chains affect forest biodiversity. The CLEVER work packages 4 and 5, presented by Laila Berning and Rafaella Ferraz Ziegert at the forest policy science conference in Freiburg (Forstpolitikwissenschaftstreffen Freiburg), investigate this research question.

The three-day conference brought together international scientific researchers who study the interrelations of governance and politics in the realm of forest and environmental conservation through different angles of discourse, legitimacy, power, communication, management and more. The CLEVER project featured in a poster exhibition, sparking interesting discussions around the topics of commodity value chains, mixed policy regulations, and biodiversity conservation.

The CLEVER research teams from the University of Freiburg, the European Forest Institute, and TU Dresden, together with their research partners from Brazil (Center for Advanced Amazonian Studies, University Federal do Pará), Cameroon and Gabon (University of Dschang) are investigating the trade-offs and synergies between the European Union (EU) and tropical producer countries. By conducting a mapping of key policy and governance initiatives and value chains (Brazil-EU soy, wood pulp, and timber value chains, Cameroon-EU and Gabon-EU timber value chain, and India-EU key forest-risk commodities), the researchers will identify key leverage points for enhancing biodiversity conservation.

To identify the right mix of policy and governance initiatives, the CLEVER team is also interviewing a range of demand and supply-side stakeholders from governmental authorities, non-governmental organizations, certification bodies, research organizations, and the private sector. The project’s findings will help policymakers and stakeholders make informed decisions about sustainable biomass production and trade.

If you have any inquiries about the work packages, you can contact CLEVER project team leader at Freiburg Metodi Sotirov (metodi.sotirov (at) ifp.uni-freiburg.de), Laila Berning (laila.berning (at) ifp.uni-freiburg.de) or Rafaella Ferraz Ziegert (rafaella.ziegert (at) ifp.uni-freiburg.de).

Dr. Metodi Sotirov, Laila Berning and Rafaella Ferraz Ziegert – University of Freiburg

Written by Laila Berning and Rafaella Ferraz Ziegert – University of Freiburg

Data Management in projects: enjoyable or unavoidable?

Fernanda Martinelli on March 23, 2023

Have you already faced the situation when someone asks you about your original data, but you don’t even remember what your excel file names mean anymore? Or the data is deposited in a public database but nobody can sort it out anyways? These are common practical challenges in the research world. Not only we deal with increasingly larger and more complex data sets, but we also often cannot find effective ways to organize them. That is why the TRAs (Transdisciplinary Research Areas) of the University of Bonn came together to organize TeRAbytes, an interactive workshop on strategies for data science and data management, with more than 100 participants, on January 17 and 18 of 2023.

The workshop had among the goals to identify common strengths, challenges, and development directions, and provide feedback to the university on future requirements for an excellent digital infrastructure. Besides an entire afternoon with concrete examples from NFDI Projects, the highlight of the event was the sharing of services and infrastructure available at Bonn University to support scientists on these matter, presented by Dr. Christian Bittner and Dr. Sergej Zerr.

Naturally, workshops are always better with visual examples. At the end of the first day, there was a poster session when participants could get an overview of the ongoing activities at the university and exchange of ideas and common challenges. Fernanda Martinelli, from the CLEVER Coordination team, presented the Data Management Plan expected to be implemented at this EU-funded project, adapted from the work of Ines Jendritzki. Check it out:

Fernanda Martinelli – University of Bonn

Featured image by our-team on Freepik