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A briefing by the World Resources Institute analyzing Indonesia's draft Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) published on September 1, 2015. The document evaluates Indonesia's proposed emissions reduction targets and provides recommendations to improve transparency and ambition before the final submission to the UNFCCC for COP 21.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes land use efficiency in Brazil, arguing that agricultural productivity can be increased and greenhouse gas emissions reduced without further deforestation. It highlights the potential of converting degraded pasturelands into croplands and examines successful historical examples of land use change, such as the soybean revolution and the implementation of the PPCDAm to combat Amazon deforestation. The document identifies key barriers to efficiency, including poor infrastructure, insecure land rights, and the need for better technology dissemination, while emphasizing the importance of enforcing the Brazilian Forest Code on private lands.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes a shift in Brazilian Amazon deforestation from large-scale to small-scale clearings between 2004 and 2012. It argues that while conservation policies successfully reduced overall deforestation, they created a blind spot for clearings of 25 hectares or less, leading landholders in states like Mato Grosso and Pará to adapt their practices to avoid detection.

This research paper analyzes the relationship between agricultural land use and deforestation in the Tapajós basin of the Brazilian Amazon from 2002 to 2012. The author finds that an increase in the relative price of crops (specifically soy) compared to beef encourages the conversion of pasture to cropland, which in turn reduces local deforestation rates.

This policy brief examines the impact of human migration on the Bale Mountains ecosystem in southeast Ethiopia, specifically focusing on the Harenna Forest. By comparing the woredas of Harenna Buluk and Delo Mena, the document analyzes how political pull factors and economic push factors drive migration, leading to accelerated deforestation, biodiversity loss, and a shift from traditional pastoralism to profit-oriented crop farming. The authors propose several policy interventions, including the regulation of informal land markets, the use of flagship species for conservation, and the development of sustainable livelihoods such as tourism.

This research paper by the Climate Policy Initiative describes a landscape management approach designed to transform Indonesia's oil palm sector into a high-productivity, sustainable industry. The approach, supported by Unilever and IDH, moves beyond simple supply chain traceability to manage agricultural production and ecosystem protection across connected areas of land at scale. The document details a five-step implementation process and highlights a pilot project in Sei Mangkei, North Sumatra, aimed at improving land-use planning, increasing smallholder productivity, and protecting peat and forest ecosystems.

This commentary by Scott Vaughan, President and CEO of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), discusses the book 'On the Edge: The State and Fate of the World’s Tropical Rainforests' by Claude Martin. The text outlines the scientific history of tropical rainforest research, the primary drivers of deforestation—specifically agriculture and infrastructure—and the progress made through protected areas and remote sensing. It further examines the intersection of forest loss with climate change, carbon emissions, and the risks of species extinction.

This report provides an overview of the water-energy-food nexus in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), focusing on the interdependencies between these sectors and the challenges posed by climate change, population growth, and resource distribution.

This research paper synthesizes knowledge on the impacts of biofuel expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the trade-offs between development goals and environmental or socioeconomic risks, and identifies policy and knowledge gaps as primary barriers to sustainability.

This executive summary analyzes the drivers of the deforestation slowdown in the Brazilian Amazon between 2004 and 2009, specifically comparing the impact of agricultural prices against conservation policies. The authors find that while agricultural prices influence forest clearing, targeted policy interventions introduced in 2004 and 2008 were instrumental in curbing deforestation, avoiding an estimated 73,000 km2 of forest loss.

This research paper evaluates the relative contributions of agricultural output prices and conservation policies to the reduction of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon between 2002 and 2009. Using a panel of 380 municipalities, the authors find that while agricultural prices drive deforestation, conservation policies implemented in 2004 and 2008 significantly curbed forest clearings without negatively impacting local GDP or population trends.

This executive summary analyzes the causes of the reduction in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon between 2004 and 2009, specifically evaluating whether the decline was driven by agricultural commodity prices or government conservation policies. The study concludes that conservation policies were effective, preventing the deforestation of approximately 73,000 km² of forest.

A statement by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and partners criticizing the CITES permit system for failing to prevent the illegal export of Afrormosia timber from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), noting that 2015 export quotas remain high despite insufficient inventory data and widespread reports of falsified permits.

This research paper provides a spatially explicit assessment of woodfuel supply and demand across the tropics for the year 2009, estimating the levels of unsustainable harvesting and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions.

This briefing introduces Transformative Transparency, an online information and decision-support platform developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and the Global Canopy Programme (GCP). The platform aims to increase sustainability in agricultural supply chains by using production, trade, and customs data to map the flow of commodities from production landscapes to consumer countries, identifying the actors and risks involved.

This case study examines Costa Rica's transition from high rates of deforestation to net forest restoration between 1986 and 2005. It highlights how a combination of market shifts, policy changes, and financial incentives—most notably the Pago de Servicios Ambientales (PSA) system—contributed to increasing forest cover from 41 percent in 1986 to 48 percent by 2005.

This research paper examines 'readiness finance' for REDD+ through the lens of the Brazilian Amazon Fund and the Congo Basin Forest Fund (CBFF). It finds that readiness has evolved from a technical focus to one encompassing governance and policy. The authors argue that readiness is not a static phase with a clear end point but requires sustained investment in institutional strengthening that continues into the performance-based phase of REDD+.

The Lima Declaration is a statement issued by the People's Summit against Climate Change in December 2014. It denounces the capitalist system and 'green economy' initiatives as false solutions to the climate crisis, demanding instead a transition based on social justice, the recognition of indigenous territorial rights, and the historical responsibility of developed nations toward the Global South.

This guide, published by Friends of the Earth International in December 2014, provides communities with information and strategies to resist 'land grabbing' by governments and corporations. It explains the conflict between customary and national land laws, outlines international human rights mechanisms for protection, and critiques common promises made by companies to justify land acquisition.

The New York Declaration on Forests Action Agenda (2014) outlines a comprehensive framework for governments, companies, indigenous peoples, and multilateral institutions to slow, halt, and reverse global forest loss. It details a 'menu of key actions' for various stakeholders and reports a surge in zero-deforestation commitments from global commodity traders and consumer goods companies, alongside national pledges for forest restoration and the protection of indigenous lands.