Commodities and Environmental Sustainability
Cocoa
Habitat conversion and deforestation in the cocoa industry continues to occur. For an average cocoa farm, productivity lasts between 25-30 years, making expansion a reoccurring theme. The degradation of forests allows for declines in biomass and soil fertility, such as the loss of foliage cover, reduced tree height, and reduction in tree girth, tree basal area and wood volume. In addition, cocoa plantations eliminate endemic species from biologically diverse hotspots, such as West Africa Guinean forests, a thriving cocoa producing region. However, efforts to convert unsustainable practices to biodiversity-friendly ones are emerging, such as effective land use planning, use of shade-grown cocoa, and reducing the use of fertilizers and pesticides to just name a few. Collaboration with certification bodies is also emerging, and companies and consumers are demanding products with cocoa produced sustainably.
 Cocoa_Biodiversity Impacts from commodity production.pdf | 93 Kb |
| UNDP Green Commodities Facility_Cocoa Scoping Paper.docx.pdf | 704 Kb |
Coffee
Intensified coffee production is responsible for a diverse set of impacts to biodiversity in many coffee producing regions across the globe. Habitat conversion, unsustainable agriculture and cattle ranching practices in conjunction with coffee production results in the degradation of soils, soil erosion, and a decrease in water quality and quantity with both direct and indirect effects on terrestrial and aquatic species. Biodiversity impacts from habitat conversion affect many bird species, pollinating insects and other organisms in the tropics. However many opportunities exist to improve production practices, such as the promotion of coffee production using biodiversity-friendly techniques (i.e. reduction of agrochemical use, shade-grown coffee, protection of riparian areas adjacent and around plantations). Multiple organizations exist to certify biodiversity-friendly coffee (i.e. Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, UTZ), and large buyers and governments can make a difference by setting aggressive targets to purchasing sustainable coffee and creating an appropriate policy environment.
| Coffee_Biodiversity Impacts from commodity production.pdf | 106 Kb |
| UNDP Green Commodities Facility_Coffee Scoping Paper.pdf | 584 Kb |
Sugar
Sugarcane production is responsible for a series of detrimental environmental impacts. Areas of High Conservation Value (HCV) are threatened or damaged by land conversion, intensive agrochemical application, field burning, and release of harmful effluents into waterways from processing mills, which are all impacts associated with sugarcane production. However, there exist multiple opportunities to change the current unsustainable practices presented by the sugarcane industry. Best management practices for sugarcane production include improving land use planning, soil conservation, and reducing effluents from mills. Initiatives are emerging, like the Better Sugar Initiative (BSI) to promote sustainably produced sugarcane. Companies and governments again are the backbone to phase out of traditional sugarcane practices.
| Sugar_Biodiversity Impacts from commodity production.pdf | 94 Kb |
| UNDP Green Commodities Facility Sugar_Scoping Paper_2011.pdf | 869 Kb |
Palm oil
Tropical forests and peatlands are disappearing at alarming rates due to the cultivation of palm oil. Illegal logging, burning of peatlands, the disappearance of endangered species like orangutans are all factors contributing to biodiversity loss and overall environmental degradation. The palm oil industry is massive and palm oil is found in many products such as cosmetics and foods and more recently has emerged as a biofuel feedstock. A cross-sectoral approach is needed in order to ensure that palm oil is being sourced from respectable sources, like the case of certified palm oil from the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Corporations should source from plantations that use best management practices such as enhancing soil fertility, reducing pesticide and fertilizer use, applying biological control and IPM techniques, establishing buffer zones adjacent to plantations, and working with local government on effective land-use planning. Collaborating efforts and setting targets with governments and large companies can be an opportunity to stem current unsustainable practices in the palm oil sector.
Cotton
Agrochemical runoff from cotton production continues to contaminate habitats (i.e. forests, rivers) surrounding cotton fields. Pesticides such as the commonly used endosulfan continue to adversely affect biodiversity because their low solubility makes them extremely hafrmful once they reach local waterways. In addition, pests become tolerant to pesticides and require the application of heavier graded pesticides harming native biota. Efforts to manage pesticide use include Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which entails using techniques to identify pests and diseases in each are they work in, in order to better determine necessary pesticide application. Large corporations are increasingly demanding ecological and socially-friendly cotton, facilitating governments to capacitate farmers in sustainable cotton production. This movement may not only benefit biodiversity but farmer livelihoods as well.
| Cotton_Biodiversity Impacts from commodity production.pdf | 258 Kb |
| UNDP Green Commodities Facility_Cotton Scoping Paper.pdf | 982 Kb |
Rice
Rice is a staple food for more than half of the world´s population and it influences the livelihoods and economies of several billion people. In Asia, rice production is said to be the most important source of employment of and income of rural areas. The recent intensified production of rice has lead to environmental degradation impacting many areas. Habitat conversion, release of methane, loss of aquatic and terrestrial fauna, soil erosion, agrochemical runoff and human health exposure are just some of the impacts of rice producing systems. Opportunities to implement best management practices (BMPs) in rice producing regions include rice-fish systems found throughout Asia, which have shown positive results in creating integrated systems that benefit both ecosystems and farmers. Collaboration between governments, farmers and large buyers to set sustainability targets is a pivotal step in improving current unsustainable practices.
| Rice_Biodiversity impacts from commodity production.pdf | 79 Kb |
| UNDP Green Commodities Facility _Rice Scoping Paper.pdf | 852 Kb |
Pineapples
From Costa Rica to Thailand, tropical forests are being converted into pineapple plantations. Due to agrochemical use, inefficient irrigation techniques, unregulated post harvest residues, health risks from de-greening of the fruit and soil erosion, the impacts from pineapple production on biodiversity and the environment in general are severe. Pineapple is grown in tropical areas that are home to highly biodiverse regions. Habitat conversion from production reduces the migration of local fauna, and contaminates waterways with agrochemical runoff. Best management practices (BMPs) exist to ensure that pineapple production can coexist sustainably with adjacent natural habitat. Working with local governments creating effective zoning plans, setting aside portions of land on plantations as wildlife corridors, and planting of leguminous crops to enhance soil fertility are all measures that pineapple plantations can adopt. But these methods are only a partial solution--integrating companies and governments to set goals to ensure sustainable practices are being implemented is the ultimate goal.
| Pineapples_Biodiversity Impacts from commodity production.pdf | 82 Kb |
| UNDP Green Commodities Facility_Pineapple Scoping Paper.pdf | 953 Kb |
