Martin Hollands Flashcards
People aren’t paid fairly for their work
and agriculture destroys ecosystem function that others rely on
population, agriculture, nature
conflicts in land-use
Rubber is grown in aisa now
expanding to west africa
Who are the stakeholders ?
Understanding – and respecting – their needs & perspectives
Putting people vs biodiversity is not going to work
Don’t give up on the ethical / advocacy arguments – but money talks…
Business has a lot invested and wants sustainable profits
Governments want profitable businesses
Governments don’t want discontented voters
We need to think strategically & tactically
We need to work collaboratively
We need to communicate
We need to be able to negotiate
We need to be able to manage
Agree what it is you are trying to develop a strategy about – your “target(s)”
What is the desired state / status of the target
THEN assess
Current situation regarding the targets
Is the current state stable or changing – if so it what way(s) ?
THEN
Where / how does the current state differ from the desired state?
What are the trends ?
What are the Immediate “threats” to the desired state of target, or the improvements needed in the state of the target ?
THEN assess
Threats and causes and underlying causes
Natural rubber supply chain
rubber trees - latex tapped - buyers - middlemen - processor - manufacturer - distributor
Biodiversity Target
Healthy, functioning, tropical forests
Priority on KBAs
Maintenance / enhancement of :- Forest biodiversity Forest Ecosystems Forest quality, forest cover & connectivity
Desired Situation - 2025
Sustainable rubber production and consumption through improved policy and planning frameworks drives integrated healthy landscapes combining sustainable agriculture, livelihood development and biodiversity and ecosystem conservation. Leading to :
Healthy, functioning, tropical forests
Forest biodiversity & Ecosystems conserved
Forest cover & connectivity increased
Enhanced reputation of BLI as a key contributor in assisting business sustainability
Enhanced funding for on the ground conservation
Sustainable Livelihoods
CURRENT SITUATION
Large scale historical impacts on forests from conversion for rubber. This includes plantations ( high impact ) and small holder agro-forestry ( small impact ) production.
As traditional areas are already over-crowded with high value commodities expansion is in new frontiers, such as Mekong & West Africa.
Smallholder production is significant ( 80+%). Although there is localised impact where it is a component of a still predominantly forested landscape it can play a significant role in allowing the continuation of that landscape. Current, and projected, low prices together with inefficient production, has led to reduced smallholder interest, and pressure for conversion e.g. to Oil Palm.
If smallholder production is significantly reduced there will be pressure for additional plantation areas - often in unsuitable areas
How the rubber sector drives deforestation and forest degradation
land-use planning : pressure for economic development, lack of data on ES benefits, lack of monetisation of ES values, need for local livelihoods
rubber value chain: increased demand, unaware consumers, no certification, lack of transparency in supply chain, no pressure or financial incentive for sustainable practices
smallholder production: low price, low returns leads to low investments, conversion of forests to commercial plantations once rubber is devalued
Significant points…
Expansion issues :
previous expansion had major impact on biodiversity
Next one could be even worse – no-where left to go…
Lack of equity :
Smallholders get circa 50% of agreed minimum wage
Further price crash in price this year
Communities pick up the costs of environmental degradation
Small holders are giving up the plots
Often converted to other commodities
Plantations:
looking to expand in new geographies,
eg west Africa where costs would be cheaper
Meetings between
Academic and CSO
Producer and tyre manufacturer
CSOs and Tyre Manufacturers
Academic & Producers
GLOBAL PLATFORM FOR SUSTAINABLE NATURAL RUBBERFor a fair, equitable and environmentally sound natural rubber value chain.
Members of the platform include tire manufacturers, rubber suppliers and processors, vehicle makers and NGOs. Representatives from each of these stakeholder groups have contributed to the development of the Singapore-based platform and the wide-reaching set of priorities that will define GPSNR strategy and objectives.
Vision: A fair, equitable and environmentally sound natural rubber value chain.Mission: To lead improvements in the socioeconomic and environmental performance of the natural rubber value chain.
Pilot & test participatory planning process that looks at optimization of production, ensures system maintenance or enhancement ( or restoration ), and connectivity - working with natural systems
Engage with key stakeholders throughout.
Work with Planning trainers to develop and promote improved LUP courses.
Work with NGO partners to build capacity of local civil society to contribute to planning process.
Smallholder Capacity
Work with companies, development agencies and local NGOs to build capacity of smallholders to improve practices and their ability to effectively contribute to participatory processes
Pilot & Test improved practices
Work with companies, and other stakeholders, to pilot and test improved sustainable practices along the value chain and gather information on impacts of options
Multi-Stakeholder Platform
Established, and functioning, to consider, agree and promote sustainability and transparency commitments, together with company systems to implement, along the whole Value Chain.
Effective compliance mechanism.
Awareness raising
Work with other NGOs and media agencies to raise consumer, and other stakeholder, awareness of issues.
Activities to motivate change along the Value Chain
Knowledge Hub
Generating, collating and evaluating information to support decision making. Including Impacts, costs/benefits to different stakeholders along the value chain to allow analysis of likely consequences of actions.
Increasing Demand for Natural Rubber Necessitates a Robust Sustainability Initiative to Mitigate Impacts on Tropical Biodiversity
Thomas et al., 2015
Strong international demand for natural rubber is driving expansion of industrial‐scale and smallholder monoculture plantations, with >2 million ha established during the last decade. Mainland Southeast Asia and Southwest China represent the epicenter of rapid rubber expansion; here we review impacts on forest ecosystems and biodiversity. We estimate that 4.3–8.5 million ha of additional rubber plantations are required to meet projected demand by 2024, threatening significant areas of Asian forest, including many protected areas. Uncertainties concern the potential for yield intensification of existing cultivation to mitigate demand for new rubber area, versus potential displacement of rubber by more profitable oil palm. Our review of available studies indicates that conversion of forests or swidden agriculture to monoculture rubber negatively impacts bird, bat and invertebrate biodiversity. However, rubber agroforests in some areas of Southeast Asia support a subset of forest biodiversity in landscapes that retain little natural forest. Work is urgently needed to: improve understanding of whether land‐sparing or land‐sharing rubber cultivation will best serve biodiversity conservation, investigate the potential to accommodate biodiversity within existing rubber‐dominated landscapes while maintaining yields, and ensure rigorous biodiversity and social standards via the development of a sustainability initiative.
