Certification, Forest Conservation, and Cattle: Theories and Evidence of Change in Brazil

Conservation Letters

Peter Newton¹  Helena Nery Alves-Pinto² 

[1]International Forestry Resources and Institutions (IFRI) research network, School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

[2]International Institute for Sustainability, Estrada Dona Castorina, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

关键词: Agriculture;    Amazonia;    greenhouse gas emissions;    incentives;    institutions;    interventions;    supply chain;   

DOI  :  10.1111/conl.12116

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Abstract

Voluntary certification programs for agricultural and forest products have been developed to improve the environmental and social sustainability of production processes. The new Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) cattle certification program aims to reduce deforestation in the cattle supply chain, with a focus on Brazil. Drawing on information from interviews with key actors in Brazil, this article discusses the mechanisms that may enable the SAN cattle program to achieve these goals and to avoid critiques that have been leveled at other commodity certification programs. The program sets higher standards for sustainability than any existing policy or incentive mechanism. Participation in the program may generate significant indirect financial and non-financial benefits. The program may also influence the supply chain more widely: by demonstrating that certifiable, traceable, sustainable cattle production is viable; by “raising the bar” of sustainability standards through rigorous criteria; and by creating new markets and incentives. While the scaling up and impact of the SAN cattle program will depend in part on how it is supported or constrained by other interventions in the same sector, the program appears to be characterized by a rigorous program design that is necessary, if not sufficient, to catalyze reduced rates of forest loss.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
Copyright and Photocopying: © 2014 The Authors. Conservation Letters published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology

Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.