Development of a protocol for assessing deforestation caused by cocoa Ivory Coast

AGRICULTUREAGRICULTURE ENVIRONMENTENVIRONMENT FORESTRYFORESTRY TRANSVERSALTRANSVERSAL

Rainforest Alliance

Services: Technical and economic advice, Technical assistance

Countries: Ivory Coast

Dates of intervention: 2018/09 - 2018/11

Amount executed: 25 000 €
Total amount of the service: 25 000 €

Main backer: Rainforest Alliance - Client

Main beneficiary: Rainforest Alliance

Support provider: SalvaTerra

Experts: Olivier BOUYER, Maden LE CROM

Certificate of satisfactory executionBiophysical land use characterization of cocoa & forests landscapes in Cote d’Ivoire and field assessment protocol for deforestation assurance

Context of the service

The Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture certification requires that the land has not been deforested since 2014 or in the 5 years prior to applying for certification (and even since 2005 for High Conservation Value Areas). The aim of the study was to develop an assessment protocol for the Rainforest Alliance, certification bodies and assessors to identify past deforestation, based on land use and land use change maps (such as the Global Forest Watch tool) and field observations. This study was conducted in Côte d'Ivoire, where UTZ and Rainforest Alliance certifications are highly developed, but where deforestation is significant.

Services provided

The services provided were as follows:
- Review of existing land use and change maps, and comparison with field observations (made in 2012 by the Rainforest Alliance and in 2015-2016 by SalvaTerra); - Data collection on a sample of 106 plots: identification of cocoa plantations planted on agricultural land vs. on forest clearing, then identification of the causes of deforestation (identified on Global Forest Watch - GFW maps); - Analysis of raw satellite data (Sentinel 2 and DigitalGlobe/Google Earth) to identify cocoa plantation areas and deforested areas over several dates; - Design of a protocol combining remote (visual interpretation of images) and field (collection of biophysical information and interview of farmers) analyses.


Summary of the service

Development of a protocol for assessing deforestation caused by cocoa, as part of the Rainforest Alliance certification: Review of existing forest maps and comparison with historical field observations; Collection of new field data on 106 plots (with analysis of the causes of deforestation identified on Global Forest Watch maps); Analysis of raw satellite data (Sentinel 2 and DigitalGlobe/Google Earth); Design of a protocol combining remote and field analyses.