CEO Note: Good news…because we need it
We could all use some good news right now—and I’m happy to share these recent updates:
A win for the Amazon: the Soy Moratorium holds (for now)
Coming out of Brazil this week: the Federal Court in Brasília has overturned the decision by CADE (the Brazilian competition authority) to suspend the Amazon Soy Moratorium, the agreement that prohibits the purchase of soybeans grown in deforested areas of the Amazon. The court argued that CADE did not take into account technical and legal arguments and interfered in the country’s environmental policy.
In my last note, I highlighted the significance of these threats to the Amazon Soy Moratorium, which is the single most important model for private sector conservation in the world.
Although this is encouraging news, it’s unlikely to be the last challenge to the Soy Moratorium. In the same way that laggards and bad actors have continued to lash out at the EU’s Deforestation Regulation, opponents of conservation sense that this is a moment of opportunity for them. But the Amazon Soy Moratorium is a clear win-win for both the private sector and the environment. That’s why we’re reaching out to international customers and traders to mobilize support in defense of this critical policy. We’ll keep you posted on developments.
Front page of NYT: Targeting the RV Industry
Findings from our recent expedition to Indonesia made it to the front page of the New York Times this week. Our investigation found that Winnebago and other RV companies have fueled the destruction of 100,000 acres of orangutan habitat and Indigenous Dayak forest in Borneo.
We caught suppliers Mayawana Persada and its affiliate Alas Kusuma red-handed, excavating deep peat in violation of Indonesian law; we also found orangutan nests and sun bear footprints in areas slated for destruction. Surprisingly, American RV makers and their suppliers have been snapping up meranti wood, also known as lauan, from this and other concessions to make the interior walls in RVs. The RV makers should have known better: we filed an FSC complaint back in summer 2023 detailing the issues.Their recklessness means that nature-loving American RV drivers have been unwittingly riding around visiting American forests, lakes, and canyons with a forest full of endangered Indonesia wood. Our new campaign asks RV fans to call for a shift to responsible sourcing. You simply don’t have to destroy an ancient rainforest to have an awesome summer trip.
I want to thank all our partners in this effort: Satya Bumi, Link-AR Borneo, Earthsight, and Auriga. We’ve now launched a petition on this issue and are reaching out to the companies to discuss how we can help them implement more responsible sourcing policies.
Podcast: Rewilding the Northeast with Mountain Lions
Finally, in the latest Rewilding Earth podcast, our Northeast Rewilding Director, Renee Seacor, discusses the effort to reintroduce mountain lions (or catamounts, as they’re known locally) to their historical range east of the Mississippi River. It is truly a delightful podcast; Renee brings erudition and inspiration in equal measure. I promise you will LOVE listening to her.
You can stream the episode here or download it wherever you subscribe to podcasts.
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