{"id":360,"date":"2016-12-05T23:23:01","date_gmt":"2016-12-05T23:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iisd.org\/ssi\/?p=360"},"modified":"2023-03-25T16:10:56","modified_gmt":"2023-03-25T21:10:56","slug":"booming-sustainable-agriculture-market-can-help-save-endangered-species-habitat-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iisd.org\/ssi\/news\/booming-sustainable-agriculture-market-can-help-save-endangered-species-habitat-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Booming Sustainable Agriculture Market Can Help Save Endangered Species, Habitat: Study"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cancun, Mexico, December 5, 2016\u2014The booming sustainable agriculture market can help save endangered species and stem an alarming loss of habitat, but a <\/span>new <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> has found that policy-makers must also play their part.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most voluntary sustainability initiatives\u2014like Fairtrade International, the Rainforest Alliance or Ethical Tea Partnership\u2014incorporate key biodiversity criteria in their certification processes, according to the study by the <\/span>International Institute for Sustainable Development<\/span><\/a>\u2019s (IISD\u2019s) <\/span>State of Sustainability Initiatives<\/span><\/a> project.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe market is rewarding these efforts to protect soil and water quality, conserve critical habitats and mitigate the impacts of climate change,\u201d said study author Jason Potts, a senior associate at IISD. \u201cPolicy-makers can leverage voluntary standards initiatives in order to help achieve their biodiversity goals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The market value of certified products was estimated to be more than $50 billion in 2014 for 10 major commodities (bananas, cotton, coffee, cocoa, fisheries, forestry, tea, sugar, palm oil and soybean) the study found. That\u2019s up from $43 billion in 2012, the previous estimate by the <\/span>State of Sustainability Initiatives Review<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Agricultural production compliant with sustainability standards has grown at an average of 35 percent per annum between 2008 and 2014, the study found.<\/span><\/p>\n

Standards already cover a significant portion of some commodity markets. Half of global coffee production is standards-compliant, along with 30 percent of cocoa production, 22 percent of palm oil production and 18 percent of global tea production.  <\/span><\/p>\n

However, standards-compliant production accounts for only a small portion of total global agricultural land area, with minimal presence in major staple crops.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thus standards initiatives will have to expand dramatically to have a significant impact, especially considering the fact that agriculture is responsible for 70 percent of projected losses in terrestrial biodiversity due to widespread land conversion, pollution and soil degradation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The study, released Monday at the <\/span>UN Biodiversity Conference<\/span><\/a> in Cancun, Mexico, identifies a number of opportunities to leverage the impact of voluntary sustainability standards.<\/span><\/p>\n