1. Soy in South America
Global demand for soy is driving destruction of natural habitats throughout South America which provide essential ecological, economic and social benefits locally, regionally, and globally. It is possible to meet the demand for soy without further destruction of these regions by producing soy on land that has already been cleared.
2. Scale and consequences of South American habitat destruction
The biomes of the Amazon, Atlantic and Gran Chaco forests, and the Cerrado savannah provide enormous ecological, economic and social benefits locally, regionally, and globally. Their destruction fuels dangerous global climate change, jeopardises food security locally and as far away as the northwest United States, and threatens to undermine local ways of life. It may also reduce soy productivity and create price volatility globally for soy-derived products.
3. South American soy trade patterns
Most of the soy produced in South America is exported, with over half going to China and the EU. These countries are heavily reliant on South American soy to meet consumer demand. This means that companies, governments and consumers in these end-user countries can influence South American growers to adopt sustainable production practices.
4. Zero deforestation soy is possible
It is possible to meet the rising demand for soy and protect remaining natural habitats in South America from destruction by growing soy on cleared land that is abandoned or degraded, while also investing in productivity increases, in order to produce more soy on the same amount of land. Productivity improvements in the cattle sector would also help to free up more land for soy production.
5. Transforming South American soy production through innovation supply chain solutions
Pressure from private companies and governments in importing countries is transforming where and how soy is produced in South America, helping to halt soy-related destruction of natural habitats.
6. Lessons learned from the impact of the Amazon Soy Moratorium
The Amazon Soy Moratorium has been effective in drastically reducing soy-related deforestation in the Amazon. It provides a model which can be adapted to other regions under threat from soy-related destruction of natural vegetation.
7. Recommendations for preventing further soy-driven deforestation
Enormous areas of natural vegetation in South America remain under threat from soy expansion. Achieving deforestation-free soy requires coordinated, sector-wide action, commitments and support from stakeholders across the supply chain.
