Natural Habitats Palm Possible
Impact Report 2022
20
Natural Habitats
Impact Report 2021/2022
21
4.3
DEFORESTATION- FREE
WHAT? What does deforestation-free actually mean? For centuries, cutting and burning down forests was a way to prepare forested land for agricultural activity. However, we now know that land use change is a main cause of biodiversity loss. Growing consumer awareness about the conversion of tropical rainforests to palm plantations has prompted many companies to make ‘no-deforestation’ pledges. Yet what does ‘no deforestation’ or ‘deforestation-free’ actually mean in the context of these palm oil pledges? There is no single accepted term or definition to describe the act of refraining from deforestation. Terms like ‘deforestation-free’, ‘zero deforestation’ and ‘no-deforestation’ are considered ambiguous. At Natural Habitats, we follow the UNs’ Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) concept of‘ zero net deforestation ’. Zero net deforestation means there will be no change to the total forested area, and new forests compensate for converted forests. WHY? Why do we care so much about our forests? Protecting forests in our production landscapes is essential to securing the healthy resilient ecosystems we all depend upon. To date, deforestation has resulted in 2 billion hectares of degraded land worldwide. Land degradation threatens species diversity and our global food systems, and has reduced the productivity of 23% of the global land service. Because of this, up to US$577 billion in annual global crops are at risk from pollinator decline. Pollinator decline is the significant reduction of insect and other animal pollinators in ecosystems worldwide. This began being recorded at the end of the 20th century. WHAT IS POLLINATOR DECLINE?
HOW? How do we meet this promise?
Farms and plantations that are part of the Natural Habitats supply network can, under no circumstances, clear any land that causes deforestation, or damage areas rich in carbon such as peatlands and High Carbon Stock (HCS) forests . Policies We operate a strict Forest Conservation policy . This means that the conversion of primary and secondary forests into agricultural production areas, tree plantations, or other degenerating land uses are strictly prohibited. Our policy also stipulates that we must take precautionary actions for forest preservation and have zero burning practices. Alongside this, we operate a Land Use Policy that prevents any conflict in relation to land use, as well as the associated rights of the local inhabitants. Rigorous assessments Before starting our collaboration with new farmers and plantation owners, we perform rigorous assessments to ensure the farms and plantations comply with our zero net deforestation promise. We only start buying their palm fruit for processing after they pass our internal and external audits, and meet all of our certification standards. Part of the conversion process from conventional oil palm cultivation to Palm Done Right is performing a Land Use Change Analysis (LUCA) , which is reviewed by the RSPO. A LUCA is performed by an external consultant. It provides a complete insight into previous land functions and how land use has changed over time using satellite imagery. By performing a LUCA, we can make sure we comply with internal and industry standards, and verify our zero net deforestation promise.
IS POSSIBLE
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