Experts say that since there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to achieve effective zero deforestation commitment (ZDC) mapping and monitoring, they have created an attribute framework to guide the development of effective ZDC mapping and monitoring systems.

Effective mapping and monitoring systems are deemed integral to help companies around the world in eliminating deforestation from their agricultural production systems and global commodity supply chains, such as oil palm, beef, and soy.

To identify the attributes of effective systems, 17 experts from academia, the private sector and environmental NGOs, gathered in 2019 for a two-day workshop supported by the Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP).

The experts identified 12 attributes of ZDC mapping and monitoring systems that contribute to their credibility, salience, legitimacy, and scalability — the four criteria that enable stakeholders to make better-informed decisions and act on their commitments to protect forests.

The attributes can be used to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of existing or potential mapping and monitoring systems, and to identify gaps that could be filled by integrating multiple approaches.

“The goal of this effort was not to identify a single best ZDC mapping and monitoring approach, but to help supply chain actors and multi-stakeholder ZDC initiatives design mapping and monitoring systems that will meet user needs and contribute to reducing commodity-driver deforestation,” Kemen G. Austin, a senior policy analyst at NGO RTI and one of the report authors, told Mongabay by email.

The attribute framework is explained in detail in a paper published in journal BioScience.

Read the full article about zero-deforestation commitments by Hans Nicholas Jong at Eco-Business.