Organic Farming and Deforestation

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PUBLISHED: 1 JULY 2016 | ARTICLE NUMBER: 16098 | DOI: 10.1038/NPLANTS.2016.98 correspondence Organic farming and deforestation

To the Editor — We agree with Reganold Value Areas in the preceding 5 years”3, Cath Tayleur1* and Ben Phalan2* and Wachter1 that organic farming but fail to elaborate how these areas 1Conservation Science Group, Department offers lessons for improving agricultural should be identified, by whom, and how of Zoology, University of Cambridge, sustainability. However, current organic compliance is audited. Rigorous assessment David Attenborough Building, Pembroke certification systems do little to prevent of land-use change cannot be left to Street, CB2 3QZ, UK. 2Department of Forest deforestation and other forms of habitat individual, poorly resourced auditors4. Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State conversion. For example, the USDA The organic movement must learn from University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA. organic standard, widely applied around other sustainability standards, such as the *e-mail: [email protected]; the world, failed to prevent deforestation Roundtable on Responsible Soy and the [email protected] for organic sugar in Paraguay2. The Rainforest Alliance, which provide more References certification criteria recommended by rigorous protection for forests and other 1. Reganold, J. P. & Wachter, J. M. Nature Plants the International Federation of Organic habitats. This will become increasingly 2, 15221 (2016). Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) pertinent as interest in finding ways 2. Rogers, H. Mother Jones 35, 58–79 (2010). specify that organic farms should not to end habitat loss intensifies, and as 3. The IFOAM Norms for Organic Production and Processing (IFOAM, 2014); http://bit.ly/21m1F0F be established on “land that has been companies commit to deforestation-free 4. Jurjonas, M., Crossman, K., Solomon, J. & Baez, W. L. World Dev. obtained by clearing of High Conservation supply chains. ❐ 78, 13–21 (2016).