Hi folks,
I'm interested in developing tools to combat deforestation (to address biodiversity loss) and am trying to understand the forest-product supply chain, as well as the portion of the mining supply chain that is involved in deforestation. So far, I'm using global forest watch to find mining and logging companies, which has been somewhat succesful, but of course companies involved in illegal activities don't advertise their black market online. Does anyone have some ideas for where I'd find some solid information about these companies? Is there an NGO with a good list/database of unsustainable, illegal, or harmful mining and logging companies?
Thanks in advance,
Liev
22 August 2019 5:06pm
Hi Liev,
I'm not an expert on this stuff, but from the sound of it, your answer will depend on what you're looking to focus on.
By 'illegal', do you mean 'obtained a contract through corrupt means', 'failing to adhere to an existing contract in terms of engagement with a community' or 'linked to human rights allegations in terms of treating workers'?
By 'unsustainable', do you mean 'responsible for polluting the local area', 'involved in activities like palm oil production that might be globally unsustainable', or 'failing to provide employment opportunities to local residents'?
Or is the answer 'all of the above'?
I've added a few tools below that I've come across, all of which have a lot of information about various aspects of the questions you mentioned. Hope it helps!
- https://ejatlas.org/
- https://landmatrix.org/
- https://resourcecontracts.org/ and https://resourceprojects.org/
- https://openlandcontracts.org/
- https://opendevelopmentmekong.net/search/data/
- https://rspo.org/certification/search-for-certified-growers
- https://open.sourcemap.com/
Tom Walker