Up to 75% of deforestation in Brazil is associated with cattle ranching. To reduce forest conversion and increase sustainability in the cattle supply chain, government, private sector and civil society support interventions based on combinations of institutions and policies, incentives, and information and technology. In this paper we analyse the observed and expected interactions among the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) Standard for Sustainable Cattle Production Systems certification program and other interventions associated with livestock and deforestation in Amazonia.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) accounts for the largest part of the Congo Basin forest: two-thirds (some 155 million hectares) are forested and 69 percent of which is dense humid forest. With a surge in world market commodity prices for cocoa in 2008 and a steady 2-5% annual increase in global demand, incentives to expand cocoa production are significant. This study determines the role of cocoa in the RDC in terms of current deforestation, identifies actors, and estimates future expansion.

This infobrief provides an early snapshot of 17 REDD+ pilots under development in Indonesia in mid 2009. There is great variety in and experimentation by the proponents of REDD+ pilots. Three key dimensions useful for categorising early pilots are: 1) degree of spatial planning and heterogeneity of forest classification, 2) strategy for establishing long-term claims to carbon, and 3) predominant driver and agent of deforestation and degradation.

Voluntary certification programs are one type of intervention used to incentivize the commodity agricultural sector in tropical forest landscapes to reduce deforestation and improve sustainability. These programs encourage supply-chain actors to produce and source products according to agreed standards. We review the cases of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) voluntary certification program in Indonesia, and the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) voluntary certification program for cattle in Brazil.

This paper has two objectives. First, it analyzes the past research on deforestation and summarizes the findings of that research, in terms of its relevance to the development of future REDD regimes. Second, it highlights areas where future research and methodological development are needed to support national and international processes on avoided deforestation and degradation.