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SUMMARY:Challenges for implementing zero deforestation commitments in a hi
 ghly forested country: perspectives from Liberia’s palm oil sector - Jos
 s Lyons-White\, University of Cambridge
DTSTART:20250610T120000Z
DTEND:20250610T130000Z
UID:TALK233602@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Bronte Evans Rayward
DESCRIPTION:Halting deforestation is essential to address climate change a
 nd biodiversity loss. However\, in highly forested\, low-income countries 
 like Liberia\, “zero deforestation” commitments (ZDCs) adopted by comp
 anies may restrict agricultural expansion that has been promoted in nation
 al strategies to alleviate poverty. In such situations\, examining contras
 ting perspectives among stakeholders is important to inform ZDCs’ implem
 entation. Here\, we applied Critical Systems Heuristics in 94 interviews t
 o explore stakeholders’ perspectives on\, and thereby develop a systemat
 ic understanding of\, ZDCs in Liberia’s concession-based palm oil sector
 . We found that regulatory\, institutional\, and political factors that we
 re needed to support commitments’ implementation were missing. Concessio
 ns had initially been allocated without communities’ consent being adequ
 ately obtained\, and oil palm expansion had subsequently been stalled by z
 ero deforestation. This produced a situation where communities that lost f
 armland to oil palm were reluctant to allow further expansion\, while comm
 unities in forest areas were frustrated by a lack of promised oil palm exp
 ansion. Consequently\, although limited oil palm expansion suggests ZDCs w
 ere effective after they were adopted\, this was perceived to have come at
  the expense of anticipated improvements in community welfare\, with commu
 nity members in highly forested areas feeling deprived of development. We 
 argue that neither the complete development of Liberia’s oil palm conces
 sions nor limited development with zero deforestation will necessarily imp
 rove communities’ welfare without reforming the concession system to pro
 mote community-led\, deforestation-free agricultural development. This req
 uires public governance reforms\, novel mechanisms for agricultural invest
 ment\, and the localisation of international standards to facilitate zero 
 deforestation in smallholder agriculture.
LOCATION:Department of Geography\, Small Lecture Theatre
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