Cutting edge science to define, map, and protect non-forest ecosystems

Non-forest natural ecosystems, such as grasslands, shrublands, and savannahs are vitally important but poorly understood. Compared to forests, these open ecosystems have been historically overlooked and understudied.  Despite increasing recognition of their importance to global carbon stocks and biodiversity, these ecosystems are being converted and degraded rapidly, with losses of non-forest ecosystems exceeding that of forests in many countries, including Brazil.

Limited research on how to define, map, and protect non-forest ecosystems makes it hard for companies to identify, quantify, and prevent conversion in their supply chains. This hinders the ability of companies to implement commitments around no-conversion as recommended by Core Principle 1 of the Accountability Framework, as well as to account for and reduce land use change emissions as part of corporate climate target setting.

Gathering cutting-edge science on non-forest conversion

To bring together the newest research on non-forest ecosystems and commodity-driven conversion, AFi Backbone Team (BBT) members, Sam Levy and Leah Samberg, organised two sessions at the Global Land Programme (GLP)’s 5^th Open Science Meeting. The GLP is an interdisciplinary network of experts working on science and policy related to land systems and land use change. The meeting ran over 4-8 November 2024, in Oaxaca, Mexico with the overarching goal of improving understanding of the land system and generating science-based solutions for local- to global-scale challenges. Achieving ethical commodity supply chains was a major theme of the meeting.

The two sessions, organised by the AFi BBT, featured experts in ecology, geospatial monitoring, and policy analysis from across the globe. This included scientists working in non-forest conversion hotspots, such as the Brazilian Cerrado, Paraguayan Chaco, and the US Great Plains. Several speakers from the World Resources Institute (WRI) presented new work on mapping and defining non-forest ecosystems. WRI is an AFi Coalition member and key partner in AFi’s ongoing work related to defining and mapping non-forest natural ecosystems.

New datasets illuminate the scale of conversion, but also offer potential solutions

Several speakers presented studies quantifying the scale and location of non-forest natural ecosystem loss due to the expansion of commodities such as maize, soybeans, and livestock. These preliminary results consistently showed high levels of non-forest ecosystem loss, with the area of non-forest ecosystem conversion estimated to be potentially twice the size of the area deforested globally. Key areas were also identified with especially high levels of non-forest ecosystem conversion, such as the Brazilian Cerrado, South American Pampas, North American Great Plains and grasslands, and savannahs of Australia.

Several mapping products were also presented that are intended to help companies and other key stakeholders to identify potential ecosystem conversion in their supply chains. WRI presented the recently published Natural Lands Map V1, which offers an open source platform to identify natural ecosystems present in 2020. This map supports companies setting no-conversion targets via the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN), using the AFi’s recommended cut-off date to identify sourcing areas that are compliant with a no-conversion commitment. WRI also presented work related to Global Pasture Watch, a project to identify natural/semi-natural and cultivated grasslands globally at high spatial resolution. Ongoing work was also presented to identify areas in the USA that have not been plowed in recent history to establish the most ancient and undisturbed grasslands in the country. This will enable greater clarity about which areas are primary or secondary grasslands, helping indicate which areas may be suitable for crop production under a no-conversion commitment. These new projects will make it easier for companies to adopt and implement no-conversion commitments in the future, which will hopefully reduce non-forest ecosystem conversion from commodity production.

Unanswered questions remain

The sessions showcased increased knowledge of the importance of non-forest ecosystems, as well as new products that are making it easier to map conversion within agricultural supply chains. However, it was also clear that defining natural non-forest ecosystems and differentiating them from converted lands remains challenging. This is especially true in boundary cases such as overgrazed natural pastures, intensification of natural grasslands (eg, via fertilisers), and regeneration of abandoned cropland.

Two presentations were given on this topic, both of which are part of the AFi and WRI’s ongoing work related to improving definitions for non-forest ecosystems. This work reflected the diversity of non-forest natural ecosystems and the challenge in consistently defining them for the context of commodity supply chains. While the session participants provided valuable input, it was clear that additional feedback from experts, practitioners, and stakeholders with knowledge of specific non-forest ecosystems is needed. This will help to develop actionable definitions and guidance for commodity sourcing in non-forest natural ecosystems.

Want to get involved? Get in touch!

If you work on land classification or land use change monitoring, or if you represent a company working on a no-conversion policy or land use change assessment, then your input would help address these remaining unanswered questions. If you would like to give input to our ongoing work related to non-forest ecosystem conversion, please contact Sam Levy.

Photo: GLP 5th OSM attendees, Oaxaca, Mexico, in November 2024 (Published by Global Land Programme)