Tropical primary forest loss worsened in 2022 despite international commitments to end deforestation, warns a new report. The tropics have reportedly lost 10% more primary rainforest in 2022 than in 2021. Some of the loss was found adjacent to cocoa farms and has a pattern of small-scale clearings likely associated with cocoa production.

Several F&B sectors are intrinsically linked to deforestation next to cocoa, including soy, palm oil and wood fiber for packaging. In recent years, industry has been ramping up efforts to try to combat the crisis as consumers become increasingly concerned over food products – primarily confectionery and snacks – linked to forests being burned down to make way for certain crops. 

Landmark efforts made over the last year have included the EU’s introduction of a law cracking down on deforestation, alongside global commitments by major players to halt deforestation by 2030.

But the reality is that these ambitions are critically off track. Primary forest loss ticked up in the two countries with the most tropical forests, Brazil and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the new report.

It has also rapidly increased in other nations like Ghana and Bolivia.

The majority of loss occurred within protected areas in Ghana, which cover the last patches of primary forest in the country. This data was released by the University of Maryland, US, on the World Resources Institute’s Global Forest Watch platform.

“The question is, are we on track to halt deforestation by 2030? And the short answer is a simple no,” warns Rod Taylor, director of the Forests Program at the World Resources Institute.

“Globally, we are far off track and trending in the wrong direction. Our analysis shows that global deforestation in 2022 was over one million hectares above the level needed to be on track to zero deforestation by 2030.”

The issue’s magnitude is one that crosses national borders, as rainforests in Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia absorb huge amounts of the planet’s greenhouse gasses.

Ghana’s nature reserves rapidly depleted
Notably, the report flags that Ghana experienced the largest percent increase in primary forest loss in recent years.

In 2022, the country lost 18,000 hectares. While the area of primary forest loss is “relatively small,” the University of Maryland researchers concede that Ghana has little primary forest remaining and experienced the highest proportion of loss of any tropical country in 2022.

Most of the primary forest loss consists of small clearings near cyclical agricultural areas – land that is cleared and burned for the short-term cultivation of crops and left fallow for forests and soil nutrients to regenerate. 

“The Democratic Republic of Congo’s growing population is increasing in demand for food, leading to shorter fallow periods and the expansion of agriculture into primary forest,” underscores the report.

The analysis reveals that Indonesia and Malaysia – two nations historically mired in deforestation allegations – have managed to keep rates of primary forest loss “near record-low levels.”

Nestlé acknowledges difficulty of scale
The increase in primary forest loss points to a need to double-down on commitments and efforts underway to tackle the pervasive crisis, including the Cocoa & Forests Initiative which was formed by the governments of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire and the world’s leading cocoa and chocolate companies to end deforestation and restore forest areas.

Yesterday, Nestlé outlined “exceptional” collaboration between public and private sector operators to protect the Cavally Forest – which lies adjacent to cocoa production areas in Western Côte dIvoire – by working directly with local communities.

The preliminary stage of this particular CHF4 million (US$4.5 million) project led to the natural regeneration of 7,000 hectares, and the reforestation of almost 1,500 hectares, Nestlé discloses. The following three-year phase of the project is anticipated to have “more ambitious goals and a wider group of partners.”

Côte dIvoire has lost most of its forest cover over the last 60 years. Between 1960 and 2021, the area of its forests shrunk from 16 million to 2.97 million hectares. This loss was caused in particular by small-scale farming, pointing to a need for better oversight from larger companies working in tandem with these on-the-ground operators.

“During the first phase of the Cavally Forest regeneration project, we learned that there are various sides to the problem of deforestation in the area,” says Bastien Sachet, CEO of Earthworm Foundation, the organization leading the implementation of the project together with Nestlé.

“It is difficult to control such a large area. And the forest is attractive in terms of fertility and access to land for populations that are facing immense economic challenges. To combat deforestation and tackle the root causes of the problem, a collective approach based on creating value for producers and rural communities is required.”

“This is why the presence of economic players in the rubber and cocoa value chains, coupled with a strong partnership with the government, is essential,” he urges.

Need for quickened efforts
Among other initiatives, the EU, which imports 56% of cocoa beans worldwide, recently passed a regulation that will prohibit the sale of cocoa, timber and other commodities linked to deforestation and hold companies accountable.

“This is great news for the Indigenous people and wildlife who depend on standing forests for their survival, but also for consumers who have been telling governments and companies that they don’t want to dine on deforestation,” commented Alex Wijeratna, senior director at climate advocacy group Mighty Earth, at the time.

But the EU’s incoming law to combat deforestation could fail to achieve the global impacts regulators expect unless the UN delivers a complementary framework to support it. Industry insiders warn that the European transparency rules could simply shift environmentally damaging activities from monitored to unmonitored regions if demand for forest-based products persists.

Earlier this year, the ban was met with resistance as Indonesia and Malaysia joined forces against its enforcement. The two world leaders of palm oil production across the F&B industry say the EU directive would reduce reliance on their palm oil production by not allowing its import into EU markets unless it was obtained without a link to deforestation.