Improving definitions of non-forest ecosystem conversion through regional engagement in North and South America

Non-forest natural ecosystems, including grasslands, shrublands, and wetlands, are vitally important to the earth’s diversity and stability. These ecosystems store vast amounts of carbon and provide key services that support human wellbeing and the global economy. However, these ecosystems have been historically overlooked as meriting and requiring protection, and are currently being lost and degraded at an alarming rate, particularly due to agriculture and livestock production.

Core Principle 1 of the Accountability Framework states that companies should commit to eliminating the conversion of all natural ecosystems, including forests and non-forest biomes, from their operations, supply chains and financial investments. In addition, corporate climate targets require companies to quantify conversion of all ecosystem types that may be associated with their businesses.

The Accountability Framework defines natural ecosystems at the global scale, describing attributes of ecosystems that should be protected from conversion for commodity production. But the ways in which that definition can contextualised, interpreted, and operationalised in many parts of the world is not yet clear. Therefore, companies and other stakeholders still need support regarding how to define, identify, and map conversion of non-forest ecosystems in key regions of commodity production and expansion. This will enable them to effectively set no-conversion commitments and account for carbon emissions from land use change, while protecting biodiverse and carbon-rich non-forest ecosystems.

On the road, learning about non-forest conversion

Definitions and data availability related to non-forest natural ecosystems and their conversion vary greatly across the world. In an attempt to decrease that variability, members of the AFi Backbone Team and colleagues at the World Resources Institute (WRI) have been engaging with diverse stakeholders in key regions in order to better understand how non-forest natural ecosystems and their conversion are defined and mapped.

In July and August of 2024, the project team organised sessions at two regional workshops: one held in the city of Chicago, focusing on the United States, hosted by the Land Use Change Initiative, and another in Pirenópolis, Brazil, concentrating on South America, hosted by the Global Pasture Watch consortium.

These workshops brought together diverse actors, including farmers and ranchers as well as representatives from academia, civil society, industry, and government. During facilitated discussions, participants considered the characteristics and thresholds they felt were most appropriate to define non-forest natural and converted ecosystems. They then examined high-resolution Earth imagery and available maps that differentiated land use or land cover classes in their region and suggested classifications for difficult cases.

Stakeholder workshop at the Land Use Change Initiative (LUCI) summit in Chicago, USA. 29 July 2024.

Unpacking the dynamics of conversion

Distinguishing what should be considered conversion in non-forest ecosystems is difficult. Participants in both workshops shared insights that will enhance the AFi-WRI team's understanding of how to effectively define and map non-forest ecosystems for supply chain policies. For example, surveys and discussions highlighted the importance of ploughing or tilling in identifying conversion of grassland ecosystems.

The conversations also provided insights into how varying environmental conditions (such as rainfall or fire dynamics) and land use histories (such as planting of exotic grasses) inform the extent to which grazing and pasture management constitute ecosystem conversion. For instance, some high fertility grasslands depend on grazing to prevent woody encroachment and promote seed dispersal, while in others grazing may rapidly lead to degradation and loss of ecosystem function.

The team will hold further discussions with stakeholders to unpack context-specific dynamics and learn more about the capabilities of available datasets to identify conversion. In both regions, the team identified and engaged with ongoing efforts to map natural non-forest ecosystems and their conversion, with potential applications for supply chain contexts.

More stakeholders, more geographies

Building on these workshops, the project team is identifying next steps to both look more closely at key elements of data availability and quality in these two regions, and to hold similar engagement sessions in other regions.

In North America, the team is already beginning new collaborations with local experts to help identify the best available datasets and definitions for conversion of natural non-forest ecosystems.

In South America, the team is continuing conversations with geospatial experts to determine whether additional data development or guidance could improve the ability of companies and other stakeholders to set and monitor supply chain policies in poorly understood grassland ecosystems. Future discussions will centre on other regions of the world where non-forest conversion may be relevant. The next workshop will be held in Australia in early 2025.

Finally, insights and perspectives gathered through these workshops – as well as from literature reviews and ongoing discussions with regional experts – will be synthesised to improve a global definitional framework for non-forest conversion, in alignment with the existing definitions of the Accountability Framework.

Talk to us about conversion

Standardised approaches to mapping and monitoring non-forest ecosystem conversion are only possible with the input and collaboration of experts, practitioners, and stakeholders around the world. If you work on land classification or land use change monitoring, or if you represent a company working to develop no-conversion policies or land use change assessments, then your input can support this project. Contact Sam Levy at slevy@ra.org to get involved!