Commodities (Global Forest Watch)

Data on concessions and usage rights indicate issues occurring by large investment causing land conflict and displacements, or, on the other hand, but may also be an indicator for sustainable economic activities for the rural population. Where concessions allow for large land acquisitions for e.g. palm oil plantations or where mining is allowed on land formerly used for housing or agricultural production, displacements occur. However, managed forests also allow e.g. bordering communities to sustainably use forest land and therefore sustainable conservation. Investments may involve a variety of actors, such as local smallholders, national governments, local investors, or foreign corporations, among others. Multiple international instruments and guidance documents shed light on best practices in the context of land investments. Section 12 of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGTs), for example, focuses specifically on investments, including those undertaken by smallholders as well as investments in land that encompass land rights transactions.

The Global Forest Watch (GFW) gathers data related to forest and presents compilations in their  Open Data Portal. The Methodology varies depending on thematic focus, as also on standards of the providing institutions.