Alan Kroeger, who graduated from Bard CEP in 2014, saw the launch of a major project on halting tropical deforestation at Climate Week in NYC in September. Out of months of research, interviews, and regional consultations, Kroeger and his co-authors have developed a list of 10 evidence-based priorities to remove tropical deforestation from supply chains:
- eliminate illegality from supply chains
- grow and strengthen palm oil certification
- scale up pilot programs of sustainable intensification of cattle grazing
- sustainably increase smallholder yields in palm oil and cocoa
- achieve sustainable soy production
- accelerate the implementation of jurisdictional programs
- address land conflicts, tenure security and land rights
- mobilize demand for deforestation-free commodities in emerging markets
- redirect finance toward deforestation-free supply chains
- improve the quality and availability of deforestation and supply chain data
Kroeger and his Climate Focus colleagues prepared their white paper, Commodities and Forests Agenda 2020, on behalf of the Secretariat of the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020, and it was published by the World Economic Forum. Kroeger is currently a Land Use Consultant at Climate Focus.