Dutch financial sector European frontrunner in financing deforestation
ING, Rabobank and ABN AMRO have provided credit worth €3.1 billion over the past 5 years for commodities that often result in deforestation, such as soy. At the end of 2020, pension funds, insurance companies and banks had investments totalling €362 million in these commodities. This came to light as the result of research carried out by Friends of the Earth Netherlands and Profundo. Dutch financial institutions also invest in companies such as the agribusiness and soy trading company, Bunge, which has repeatedly been linked to deforestation and human rights violations. Friends of the Earth Netherlands wants rules for financial institutions to ban climate damage, including deforestation from their portfolios.
Palm oil company Golden Veroleum Liberia fails to fulfill benefits to communities and protect forests
Sustainable Development Institute and Milieudefensie call upon the Government of Liberia to ensure agri-business in Liberia halts deforestation and rights violations. New analysis from community excersizes indicate palm oil company Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL) structurally fails to comply with obligations and commitments from the Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) that were signed in 2014 with affected communities. The findings exemplify broken promises and lack of development during a decade of oil palm plantation development in Liberia.
JET and Feminism Publication: If It’s Not Feminist, It’s Not Just.
People and nature benefit from certified timber production
Monoculture acacia plantations intended for wood pulp are disastrous for biodiversity in Vietnam. Our local partner organisation VietNature saw that things could be done differently: with gains for plantation owners from the community as well as for nature. With the support of IUCN NL, it set up a profitable project for FSC certified timber production. In 2020, the first investor came forward.
Header photo © VietNature
Green Livelihoods Alliance stands with communities, local gov’t resisting mining in Brooke’s Point
The Green Livelihoods Alliance (GLA) in the Philippines denounces the resumption of mine operations in Brooke’s Point, Palawan, and the Office of the Ombudsman’s suspension order on Brooke’s Point Mayor Maryjean Feliciano for her actions protecting the forested watershed from destructive mining. The GLA calls on government agencies to instead listen to the community voices who have long stood against the destructive mining in forested watersheds of Palawan.
Forest Harvest CBNE Forum to be held on 1-5 June
Community-based Non-Timber Forest Product Enterprises (CBNEs) will take the spotlight for the inaugural Forest Harvest CBNE Forum taking place this 1-5 June to highlight their untapped potential in contributing to community well-being and forest conservation.
Toward an EU law on deforestation commodities
Much of the deforestation that takes place in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America is the result of the European consumption of commodities, such as soy, cocoa and palm oil. Stricter EU-level regulations could go a long way to put an end to deforestation. Such regulations are a contentious political issue, but at the end of 2020, after years of concerted lobbying by TBI and partners, there was a breakthrough.
Village forest committees in DR Congo take matters into their own hands
As soon as communities in DR Congo received formal forest rights, they established new rules for forest management. The result: fewer trees are being cut, and the communities are earning more money.
From financial flow analyses to better landscape practices
TBI members in Ghana and Indonesia studied landscape-level financial flows to understand how they can better contribute to livelihood and environmental objectives. In Indonesia, the study had an additional and unexpected positive effect.