Academic literature on the topic 'Embedded deforestation'

Deforestation and forest degradation driven by Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) are important sources of carbon emissions. Market globalization and trade liberalization policies reinforce this trend and risk deforestation to be embedded in global value chains. Due to the complexity of global production and trade systems, deforestation risk is also embedded in the supply chains of the products and sectors that are not direct deforestation drivers. Bovine leather is a commodity closely entangled in the debates about deforestation as it is a by-product of cattle. This research focuses on leather trade between Brazil and Italy to demonstrate the channels through which Italian imports of Brazilian leather could possess embedded Amazonian deforestation and related risks. The data employed for the analysis was searched at three different levels for the leather trade between Brazil and Italy: (a) the country level annual leather trade statistics for the years 2014–2018 taken from the Comtrade database; (b) the state level leather trade data, for the years 2014–2018 taken from the Comexstat database; and (c) the exporter–importer level leather trade data for the period of August 2017–August 2018, based on customs declarations. The analysis helps to demonstrate that the Italian leather trade with Brazil possesses the risk of deforestation unless the proper traceability and due diligence systems are in place to claim the opposite. The European and Italian leather industry need to be more proactive in acknowledging the existence of the risk at different levels, putting full traceability systems in place and sending out clear market signals that deforestation is not tolerated, and that sustainability is valued.

Background: Commodity-driven deforestation is a major driver of forest loss worldwide, and globalisation has increased the disconnect between producer and consumer countries. Recent due-diligence legislation aiming to improve supply chain sustainability covers major forest-risk commodities. However, the evidence base for specific commodities included within policy needs assessing to ensure effective reduction of embedded deforestation. Methods: We conducted a rapid evidence synthesis in October 2020 using three databases; Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus, to assess the literature and identify commodities with the highest deforestation risk linked to UK imports. Inclusion criteria include publication in the past 10 years and studies that didn’t link commodity consumption to impacts or to the UK were excluded. The development of a review protocol was used to minimise bias and critical appraisal of underlying data and methods in studies was conducted in order to assess the uncertainties around results. Results: From a total of 318 results, 17 studies were included in the final synthesis. These studies used various methodologies and input data, yet there is broad alignment on commodities, confirming that those included in due diligence legislation have a high deforestation risk. Soy, palm oil, and beef were identified as critical, with their production being concentrated in just a few global locations. However, there are also emerging commodities that have a high deforestation risk but are not included in legislation, such as sugar and coffee. These commodities are much less extensively studied in the literature and may warrant further research and consideration. Conclusion: Policy recommendations in the selected studies suggests further strengthening of the UK due diligence legislation is needed. In particular, the provision of incentives for uptake of policies and wider stakeholder engagement, as well as continual review of commodities included to ensure a reduction in the UK’s overseas deforestation footprint.

The aim of this article is to consider recent developments in the European Union’s legal policy on combating global forestation. Specifically, it focuses on the significance of the European Commission’s recent legislative proposal of November 2021 to minimize the EU’s contribution to deforestation and forest degradation (DFD) worldwide by banning the placement on the internal market or export from the Union of certain commodities that have been produced on land that has been subject to deforestation or from wood harvested from forests inducing forest degradation (referred to in this article as the draft deforestation-free product regulation (DFPR)). Whilst for a number of years the EU’s approach towards addressing global forest depletion has been focused on combating the trade in illegally harvested timber products and more lately on biofuel sourcing for renewable energy policy purposes, the recent launch of the DFPR proposal reflects a growing awareness by the EU that its contribution to the environmental problem of DFD is more profound and far-reaching than previously recognized. EU consumption of a range of commodities constitutes an important DFD driver, through which large areas of natural forest have been depleted at an unsustainable rate for the purposes of agricultural conversion and production, with severe consequent environmental and social costs. The article explores the content and implications of this new legislative initiative, for the Union and more broadly for the international community. Given the continued absence of a global environmental agreement addressing DFD, the stakes for the Union are high economically, politically and to some extent legally for it deciding unilaterally to introduce regulatory controls on a range of commodities to address its complicity in consumption involving embedded deforestation. One thing is clear, though, namely that the EU is not afraid to act as a legislative pioneer on the international scene, in which the Union’s environmental values may be seen as trumping short-term economic considerations of international competitiveness. European Union, deforestation, forest degradation, draft deforestation-free product regulation

Every policy solution is embedded in a certain “problem representation” that is taken for granted and assumed by policymakers. This paper examines how emission reductions and forest management have been problematized for policymaking and solution implementation from multiple actors’ perspectives. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), particularly Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) programs, in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) serves as a demonstrative example. By applying the ‘What is the Problem Represented to be’ (WPR) approach as a poststructuralist method, this study first comparatively analyzes the general problem as represented by multiple actors, including the government, media, academia and civil society. In particular, queries such as what and how the “problem” is represented and what is not problematized are reflected during the analyses. Next, this research further examines the corresponding problematization gap based on drivers of deforestation and forest degradation and discusses the noncarbon benefits of FCPF in the rhetoric. The objective of the study is to not to find the best policy choice but to reveal the heterogeneity in problem representations formulated by multiple actors to yield space for alternative and disruptive change for future problem solving in emission reductions and forest management

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has implemented Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+), a process that requires inclusive decision making and accountability. Our research analyses the participation of policy actors in DRC by asking: (1) Who is involved in national REDD+ policy making and what is their interest in participating in core policy events? (2) What level of participation do the different political actors have in core policy events? (3) To what extent do the outcomes, of REDD+ policy events incorporate different preferences of policy actors? We found that although actors' interest in REDD+ policy events have increased over time, their concerns have rarely been taken into account in decision-making processes. The presence of local civil society and indigenous group organizations is weak while international organizations play a major role in the REDD+ arena. REDD+ is treated as a project rather than being embedded in national politics.

Southeast Asia's mosaics of agricultural and tropical forest landscapes have been significantly shaped by the advance of industrial plantations from colonial times to the present. Controversies over deforestation and oil palm sustainability have emerged in this context. Significant land use changes have been made by industrial plantation companies, which have diversified their activities to sectors ranging from automobiles to banking and telecoms to become corporate giants. The solutions proposed today to curb deforestation for oil palm plantations consist of sectoral market tools such as trade bans, regulations or certification schemes that are supposed to influence the economic decisions of private companies. However, oil palm corporations are so diversified and deeply embedded in national economies that many other factors could influence their corporate decision-making. Studies since Porter and Laporta suggest that the structure of the financial network of company shareholders may have more influence on corporate decisions than the market itself, in other words that the nature of company ownership (government versus private sector) is the essential driver in corporate decision-making. This thesis explores how these structural drivers play out in major oil palm corporations. Using network analysis, we quantified and analysed shareholdings in the main oil palm corporations in Malaysia. We gathered data on 4,331 shareholdings at ten different levels. The study describes the financial topologies and compares them with the nature of company ownership and with measurable decision-making processes, such as structural control and decision loads. We found that decision-making was not influenced by the nature of ownership but was very much influenced by the financial structure of the corporations. We also found that decision loads and structural control seem to predict a structural flexibility which is intrinsic to these corporations. The implications of these findings could help to rethink the political governance of deforestation and open up a new field of research concerned with describing and analysing the deep financial structures that govern the behaviour of corporations. Firstly, understanding the financial forces that shape plantation companies is critical to oil palm and forest sustainability. Secondly, we can now identify and prioritize the most resilient corporations with a view to developing sustainable practices for the long term.

Abstract The basic and essential survival needs on earth is Water. In Recent times, the water scarcity is increased due to increase of population and deforestation. This paper based on development of an Internet of Things with solar powered irrigation using embedded method which is effective in agricultural field. Our project is to design a model of PIC for irrigation system which is supervised using Wi-Fi module (ESP8266). The WiFi module is operated using a (PIC) 16F877A from Microcontroller via utilizing the energy from the solar panel, run the motors which irrigates the field by sensing the moisture in the soil. The water above the marked level is pumped out by a motor by the information from the level sensor. The advancements of technology like IoT has vast demand in various operations. This system can easily access by the farmer to control the irrigation from anywhere in the world in an effective way.

Background and Aims We present evidence examining spatial and temporal patterns in forest cover changes and economic indicators in Brazilian Amazonia. Specifically, we tested two predictions embedded in arguments used by influential interest groups: (i) indicators of economic progress should increase where there is less forest and (ii) areas with most recent deforestation should have increased economic indicators. Methods Complementary methods assessed annual variation in economic indicators across 794 administrative districts (municipalities) covering 4.9 Mkm2 of the Brazilian Amazon from 2002 to 2019. A representative subset of municipalities was used to compare economic and socioeconomic indicators across municipalities with contrasting forest cover. Results Contrasting results between the full and a representative subset of municipalities suggested that municipality-level economic indicators cannot be directly attributed to the loss of natural forests. There was no association between forest loss and economic (average salary) or socioeconomic indicators (existence of sanitation plans and internet connectivity). The economic indicators of municipalities with less than 40% forest cover in 1986 were no different to that of similar municipalities with more than 60% forest cover from 1986 to 2019. Conclusion The evidence contradicted both predictions tested. Reducing forest cover does not appear to directly promote socioeconomic progress. Any localized associations between forest cover and poverty most likely result from other more plausible alternatives including lack of opportunity and a widespread failure to effectively implement and enforce existing policies within the local socioeconomic context. Implications for Conservation Our findings support evidence from across the tropics that shows deforestation does not necessarily generate transformative and equitable food production systems or lead to poverty alleviation.

Environmental protection is never a controversy-free endeavor. Conflicts arise over land ownership, use, and access. Political ecologists have paid extensive attention to protected areas, especially in relation to power, rights, and marginalized peoples. This article draws on political ecology to examine a new proposed national park in the context of post-communism and neoliberalization in Romania. Using mixed-methods (semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and participant observation), this research investigates conservation narratives as articulated by different actors (environmental non-governmental organizations, local decision-makers, and local community members) with various levels of involvement in the proposed national park. Three chief narratives can be observed pertaining to tourism, restrictions, and deforestation. These narratives are embedded in the history and socio-economic context of the area, but also reveal the agendas of different actors regarding landscape values. Assessing these narratives, this research reveals how actors position themselves and the points of contention among the different actors in the brewing conflict that the national park represents.Keywords: Political ecology, conservation, conflict, power

The world is advancing technologically in all sectors including the use gas as cooking energy. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is one of the gases used for cooking. The use of LPG by cooking protects the environment against deforestation and air pollution. But people are not very comfortable using it due to some issues related to the manual frame regulation that sometimes cause fire sparks, manual switch and LPG cylinder explosion that are causing many accidents in daily life. The previous related works reviewed have provided some solutions like alerting notifying and closing the Gas flow while there is a Gas leakage and auto fire extinguisher system against the fire caused by that Gas. But still, those solutions did not help users to maximize the benefits of using that gas. This project aims to develop a smart Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) stove powered by the integration of Internet of things (IoT) and Embedded Systems to auto-switch the stove, monitor the gas level, prevent the gas explosion and notify the userthe state of the stove.

La produzione agricola industriale su larga scala e il commercio di prodotti sono sempre più connessi a fenomeni di deforestazione e degradazione delle foreste tropicali. Tale fenomeno è descritto tramite il concetto di ‘rischio di deforestazione’ o forest-risk. I prodotti agricoli i cui processi produttivi implicano deforestazione e rimozione della vegetazione autoctona, sono classificati beni a rischio deforestazione (forest risk commodities). Carne bovina, soia, olio di palma e legname – i beni a rischio deforestazione – sono considerati ‘i grandi 4’ tra le forest-risk commodities. A causa della complessità dei sistemi globali di produzione e commercio alcuni beni sono indirettamente legati a tale rischio, poiché derivano da aree deforestate senza essere essi stessi causa diretta di deforestazione. Questa dimensione del rischio viene spesso tralasciata e permane un tema secondario nel dibattito sulla deforestazione derivata dalla produzione e il commercio di beni di consumo. La distinzione tra beni con un legame causale diretto con la deforestazione e beni che includono nella propria filiera il rischio di deforestazione incide su come la responsabilità della deforestazione viene attribuita e considerata sia tramite misure legali che tramite standard volontari di auto-regolamentazione. Pertanto risulta necessario sviluppare una concettualizzazione migliore per concordare una terminologia da utilizzare sia nella letteratura accademica che in quella informale e raggiungere delle decisioni politiche basate su un approccio scientifico. Nella ricerca effettuata si è voluto espandere la concettualizzazione di deforestation risk facendo riferimento al caso delle pelli bovine (di qui in avanti semplicemente, pelli) e in particolare al caso della produzione di pelli/prodotti di conceria in Brasile. Il focus sulle pelli ha molteplici ragioni. In primo luogo, mentre il ruolo degli allevamenti zootecnici come causa di deforestazione in Brasile è soggetto ad una crescente attenzione da parte dell’opinione pubblica, la filiera di produzione delle pelli rimane ancora inesplorata. Fatta eccezione per poche imprese leader del settore dei prodotti in pelle, il dibattito sulla trasparenza di questa filiera e il rischio di deforestazione ad essa associato è praticamente assente. In secondo luogo, la filiera della pelle è di norma molto più complessa rispetto a quella della carne bovina e coinvolge numerosi attori sia a livello nazionale che internazionale, ivi compresi gli intermediari, le concerie, le case di moda, ecc. Ciò crea delle discontinuità nella tracciabilità della pelle e complica l’identificazione del rischio di deforestazione lungo la filiera. Infine, la pelle è un bene che per propria stessa natura è legato a rapporti di forza squilibrati tra gli attori della filiera. Una terza ragione per la scelta del settore della pelle è data dal fatto che, poiché la pelle è spesso considerata un prodotto di scarto secondario della carne bovina, ne consegue che gli attori coinvolti nella filiera sostengono di avere uno scarso potere di negoziazione per imporre i loro standard e delle condizioni di non-deforestazione ai produttori. Al contempo, gli attori a valle della filiera, come le case di moda, sono maggiormente esposti a rischi di natura reputazionale rispetto alle imprese del settore della carne. In conseguenza di tale situazione vi è il fatto che la pelle è un bene con costi e benefici distribuiti in maniera asimmetrica all’interno della filiera. Mentre a monte gli allevatori mancano delle risorse per rispettare standard di sostenibilità e spesso non beneficiano di nessuna compensazione economica per il pellame dei propri bovini, i prodotti finiti in pelle sono visti come beni di lusso, con elevati margini di guadagno per le aziende che li producono e commerciano. Questa ricerca impiega sia dati primari che secondari. I dati primari sono principalmente di tipo qualitativo e derivano da trentanove interviste semi-strutturate e audio-registrate condotte sotto forma sia di colloqui vis-à-vis che a distanza (video-chiamate) durante una missione in Brasile tra maggio e agosto 2018. Tali dati sono stati utilizzati prevalentemente ai fini dell’analisi del discorso (discourse analysis) presentata nel secondo capitolo e come riferimenti interpretativi e di lettura del contesto per l’analisi dei dati quantitativi secondari presentata nei rimanenti capitoli. I dati e le informazioni secondari sono stati derivati da un’estesa analisi della letteratura e analisi di dati statistici relativi a mattatoi, registri su pelli bovine grezze e semilavorate e processi di deforestazione; sono stati inoltre considerati dati geospaziali relativi alle aree deforestate e alla localizzazione dei mattatoi e delle concerie; da ultimo sono stati considerati dati relativi al commercio di pelli e prodotti derivati tra Brasile e Italia. Nessun intervallo di tempo specifico è stato selezionato a priori per l’analisi dei dati: le serie temporali sono state selezionate a seconda della disponibilità di dati e delle necessità relative alle singole tipologie di analisi impiegate. Dai risultati emerge che la filiera delle pelli ha un rischio deforestazione significativo nonostante il pellame non sia un prodotto primario dell’allevamento bovino e un fattore diretto di deforestazione. Il rischio si colloca principalmente nel legame con le attività zootecniche e di allevamento, nell’incompleta tracciabilità della filiera così come nel commercio interno e internazionale di pelle. Le pelli prodotte in Brasile e importate per essere successivamente lavorate in Italia incorporano un livello significativo di rischio di deforestazione a causa degli intensi scambi commerciali tra i due Paesi. Il rischio di deforestazione legato alle pelli è affrontato in maniera diversa dai diversi discorsi esistenti sul tema e pone in evidenza come l’articolarsi della trama di ciascun discorso comporti l’attenzione sia su aspetti visibili che invisibili rispetto alla sostenibilità, all’equità e alla legalità delle filiere in questione. I risultati mettono in risalto l’importanza del ruolo e della voce degli agricoltori di frontiera, mostrando come la loro visione e interpretazione informi un discorso politico incentrato sul tema della sopravvivenza e del sostentamento. È quindi necessaria una maggiore attenzione da parte dell’opinione pubblica sulle filiere produttive, ivi comprese quelle delle pelli e dei prodotti derivati, e in particolare sulle relazioni non eque di potere, così come sull’importanza di un’inclusione significativa di gruppi vulnerabili della popolazione. L’industria del pellame e i grandi marchi dovrebbero essere più proattivi, inviando al mercato un chiaro segnale per cui la deforestazione e altre forme di illegalità non possono essere tollerate. Una piena tracciabilità della filiera e il coinvolgimento dei produttori è imprescindibile se l’industria mira a produrre e commerciare prodotti che non siano responsabili di o coinvolti in processi di deforestazione.
Large-scale industrial agricultural production and commodity trade are increasingly linked to deforestation and forest degradation in the tropics. This link is described via the concept of ‘deforestation risk’. Agricultural products whose production or extraction involves deforestation and native vegetation clearing are classified as forest-risk commodities. Beef, soybean, palm oil, and timber - the commodities with deforestation risk - are considered the “big four” of forest-risk commodities. Due to the complexity of global production and trade systems there are commodities that possess the risk of originating from deforested areas without being direct deforestation/forest degradation drivers. This dimension of the risk is either overlooked or held as secondary in the debates about commodity-driven deforestation. Differentiation between commodities with direct causal links and those with the exposure to deforestation in their supply chain has impact on how responsibility and accountability is constructed both through legal measures and self-regulatory voluntary standards. Better conceptualization is needed to approximate the usage of the terms both in grey and academic literature and to achieve science backed policy decisions. By referring to the case of bovine leather (hereinafter just leather) and the case of Brazilian leather production we aim to expand the conceptualization of deforestation risk. We focus on leather for multiple reasons. First, while the role of cattle in driving deforestation in Brazil is subject to increasing public scrutiny, the leather commodity chain largely remains in the shadow. Except for a few leading firms in leather goods, public discussion about transparency across the leather supply chain and associated deforestation risk is mostly absent. Second, leather supply chains are more complex compared to beef and involve many national and international players, including intermediary sellers, tanneries, fashion houses, etc. This creates traceability gaps and complicates identifying deforestation risk along the chain. Third, leather is a commodity with inherently uneven power relations among the actors in the supply chain and with costs and benefits unevenly distributed across the chain. Often considered a waste or by-product to beef meat, actors in the leather supply chain argue to lack important negotiation power to impose their standards and no deforestation conditions upon producers. At the same time, downstream actors of leather supply chain, such as fashion brands, are more susceptible to reputational risks compared to that of beef. While upstream farmers lack resources to adhere to sustainability standards and hardly get any financial compensation for the skin of their cattle, finished leather products are often regarded as luxury products presenting very high price margins for producing/trading brands. This research employs both primary and secondary data. Primary data is mostly qualitative and entails thirty-nine semi-structured, recorded, and transcribed interviews, in the form of both face-to-face and video call interviews conducted during extended field visit to Brazil in May-August 2018. This data is mainly used for the discourse analysis in the second chapter and for interpretative and contextual purposes to analyse the secondary quantitative data in the other chapters. Secondary information consists of extensive literature review, statistical data on annual slaughter, bovine hide/leather registry and annual deforestation, geospatial data on deforestation, slaughterhouse and tannery locations, as well as, trade statistics on Brazilian-Italian leather trade. No specific time frame was chosen to analyse the data and time series for each data set were selected according to availability and the specific requirements of each type of analysis. The results show that bovine leather supply chains possess significant risk of embedded deforestation despite leather not being a primary product of cattle ranching and driver of deforestation. The risk reveals itself in the link with cattle ranching, incomplete supply chain traceability, as well as in interstate and international leather trade. The Brazilian-Italian bovine leather has significant level of embedded deforestation due to intensive trade relations. Different discourses articulate deforestation risk of bovine leather differently and highlight how the storylines of each discourse bring attention both to what is made visible and invisible in relation to sustainability, legitimacy, and fairness. The results emphasise the importance of the role and voice of frontier settlers, by presenting how their storylines inform a political discourse on livelihoods. There is a need for increased public scrutiny of supply chains, including the leather one, and for special attention to unequal power relations and the importance of meaningful inclusion of vulnerable groups and populations. The leather industry and big brands need to be more proactive by sending clear market signals that deforestation and other illegalities are not tolerated. Full coverage and traceability of the supply chain and engagement with the producers is necessary if the industry wants to produce and trade deforestation-free products.

From Gaelic annals and medieval poetry to contemporary Irish literature, A History of Irish Literature and the Environment examines the connections between the Irish environment and Irish literary culture. Themes such as Ireland's island ecology, the ecological history of colonial-era plantation and deforestation, the Great Famine, cultural attitudes towards animals and towards the land, the postcolonial politics of food and energy generation, and the Covid-19 pandemic - this book shows how these factors determine not only a history of the Irish environment but also provide fresh perspectives from which to understand and analyze Irish literature. An international team of contributors provides a comprehensive analysis of Irish literature to show how the literary has always been deeply engaged with environmental questions in Ireland, a crucial new perspective in an age of climate crisis. A History of Irish Literature and the Environment reveals the socio-cultural, racial, and gendered aspects embedded in questions of the Irish environment.

AbstractThis chapter examines the role of tenure in conditional incentives for ecosystem conservation, often known as PES or payment for ecosystem services. PES systems that mimic market exchange require that resource tenure be clear and uncontested. In practice, there are different levels of conditionality in PES and different types of tenure challenges. REDD+, or Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, was initially conceived as a PES system embedded in a global exchange of carbon credits, thus requiring secure forest tenure. We examine one global initiative to achieve that, the Dedicated Grant Mechanism for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. Cases in Peru and Indonesia illustrate how tenure interventions can both enable implementation of conditional incentives and become part of those incentives.

The age of autonomous sensing has dominated almost every industry today. Our lives have been engaged with multiple sensors embedded in our smartphones to achieve sensing of all sorts starting from proximity sensing to social sensing. Our possessions (cars, fridges, oven) have sensors embedded in them. The art of autonomous IoT has shifted from a mere detection of events or changes in the environment to dominant systems for social sensing, big data analytics, and smart things. Recently, sensing systems have adapted connectivity resulting in input mechanisms for big data analytics and smart systems resulting in pervasive systems. Currently, a range of sensors has come to existence, for example, mobile phone sensors that measure blood pressure at patients' figure tip, or the sensors that be used to detect deforestation. In this chapter, the authors provide a technical view upon which autonomous IoT devices can be implemented and enlist opportunities and challenges of the same.