Zero deforestation in the Amazon: The Soy Moratorium and global forest governance

Abstract

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has recently increased, and one of the main drivers is the expansion of soy production for international markets. The Soy Moratorium (SM) is a market-based, zero-deforestation commitment banning traders from purchasing soy produced in the Amazon’s deforested land after July 2008. Combined with public conservation policies, the SM has contributed to a decrease in the direct conversion of forests for soy production. This article considers the SM’s links with global forest protection, revealing that measures to protect forests at local levels are consistent with global trends. Specifically, the article suggests that the SM exemplifies the growing importance of non-State actors in global environmental protection, the close relationship between forest protection and climate change goals, and the reconciliation of environmental practices with economic growth. As such, the article helps explain how the SM advance global forest governance at a time of erosion of environmental protection.