“Hybrid mapping method key to EUDR cocoa compliance, study finds”

A coalition of organizations has assessed how locally produced maps stack up against global open-access data sets to evaluate deforestation in the context of cocoa production. The assessment will be useful for cocoa producers as they work toward compliance with the EU anti-deforestation regulation (EUDR), set to take effect at the end of the year, the organizations note in a recent report.

The EUDR’s goal is to prevent tropical deforestation by requiring that companies prove their products, including palm oil, timber, soy, beef and cocoa, didn’t come from land deforested after December 2020. Initially set to go into effect on Dec. 30, 2024, the rule’s implementation was delayed by a year partly because commodity producers struggle to accurately prove their products meet EUDR standards…

… researchers from ABI and CIAT teamed up with the World Cocoa Foundation, a U.S.-based industry group with members including Nestlé and Mars. They tested data sets from global open-access platforms…

… global open-source data sets are generally more standardized and easier to access but struggle to accurately distinguish complex landscapes…

…locally made maps, produced by national governments, projects or private companies, tend to be more accurate in complex landscapes…