Dataset to: Do Voluntary Sustainability Standards Reduce Primary Forest Loss? A Global Analysis for Food Commodities.

Dataset to the publication of Dröge et al. (2024) "Do Voluntary Sustainability Standards Reduce Primary Forest Loss? A Global Analysis for Food Commodities".

We used annual certification data of seven VSS (Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, 4C, Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), GlobalGAP, Organic) certifying five food commodities (cocoa, coffee, tea, palm oil, banana) and data on tree cover loss in humid tropical primary forest to study the impact of VSS on primary forest loss in 67 tropical countries. Using two generalised additive models (GAMs), one with VSS separately and one with VSS coverage aggregated, we found only Fairtrade to coincide with lower tree cover loss in primary forests at country level while we observed higher tree cover loss with higher certification for UTZ, RSPO and Organic. Using spatially explicit certification data in Google Earth Engine, we did not observe an effect of VSS on tree cover loss, thereby raising doubts on the potential of VSS to govern deforestation free supply chains.

本数据集配套Dröge等人2024年发表的论文《自愿性可持续标准是否降低原生林损失？面向食品商品的全球分析》。
本研究使用覆盖7类自愿性可持续标准(VSS, Voluntary Sustainability Standards)的年度认证数据，该类认证涵盖公平贸易(Fairtrade)、雨林联盟(Rainforest Alliance)、UTZ、4C、可持续棕榈油圆桌会议(RSPO, Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil)、全球良好农业规范(GlobalGAP)、有机认证等类型，服务于可可、咖啡、茶叶、棕榈油、香蕉5种食品商品；同时结合湿润热带原生林的林木覆盖损失数据，针对67个热带国家开展自愿性可持续标准对原生林损失影响的研究。
本研究采用两类广义加性模型(GAMs, Generalised Additive Models)：一类单独纳入各类VSS变量，另一类纳入聚合后的VSS覆盖率变量。分析结果显示，仅公平贸易认证与国家层面原生林更低的林木覆盖损失呈现显著相关性；UTZ、RSPO及有机认证的覆盖率越高，观测到的林木覆盖损失反而越高。
通过谷歌地球引擎(Google Earth Engine)中的空间显式认证数据开展分析时，未观测到VSS对林木覆盖损失存在显著影响，由此对VSS管控无毁林供应链的潜在效用提出了质疑。