FREE TRADE AND PLANTATIONS

This briefing by Friends of the Earth International argues that bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) promote a development model based on exploitation and inequality, specifically facilitating the expansion of monoculture tree plantations through broad definitions of 'services' and 'investments'.

• Free trade agreements are linked to the increase of tree plantations because they rely on a production model of monoculture plantations to produce large quantities of homogeneous products for export.
• The broad and ambiguous definitions of 'services' and 'investments' in trade agreements can limit the ability of national governments to implement social, environmental, or development policies. Specifically, the GATS definition of services is described as covering almost any rule or action affecting trade in services.
• Under the Investment Chapter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the definition of investment has been expanded by tribunals to include a corporation's simple expectation of gaining market share.
• Tree plantations, including those for agrofuels, can be classified as investments or services under FTAs. In Central America, if a state prevents an investor from logging a forest to plant trees, this may be viewed as an expropriation of expected returns under the agreement between those countries, the US, and the Dominican Republic.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (n.d.). FREE TRADE AND PLANTATIONS. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/art-plantaciones-tlc-ingles-final.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. FREE TRADE AND PLANTATIONS. n.d. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/art-plantaciones-tlc-ingles-final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=FREE TRADE AND PLANTATIONS |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/art-plantaciones-tlc-ingles-final.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternationalndfree, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{FREE TRADE AND PLANTATIONS}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/art-plantaciones-tlc-ingles-final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }