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High Conservation Value Or High Confusion Value? Sustainable Agriculture And Biodiversity Conservation In The Tropics, David P. Edwards, Brendan Fisher, David S. Wilcove

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Green labeling of products that have been produced sustainably is an emerging tool of the environmental movement. A prominent example is the Forest Stewardship Council, which certifies timber that is harvested to manage and maintain forests defined as having High Conservation Value (HCV). The criteria for HCV are now being applied to four rapidly expanding crops in the tropics: oil palm, soy, sugarcane, and cacao. However, these criteria do not provide adequate protection for biodiversity when applied to agriculture. The only criterion that provides blanket protection to forests is one that protects large expanses of habitat (≥20,000-500,000 ha, depending on …