It is commonly known that modern slavery is connected to the degradation of the environment. Pioneering works by Kevin Bales (in 2016's Blood and Earth: Modern Slavery, Ecocide and the Secret to Saving the Planet) and Brown et al. (2019) have begun to pave the way for these connections. Others have also noted the connection to climate change. Yet the empirical connection of the modern slavery-environmental degradation nexus has so far been limited.
In our new paper for the Rights Lab, published in Conservation Science and Practice, we seek to quantify the link between modern slavery and tree loss; focusing on four countries - Brazil, Ghana, Indonesia and Mozambique - which have all had documented cases of modern slavery and labour exploitation associated with activities and sectors that lead to deforestation and forest degradation.
Using remote sensing data products, risks of tree cover loss data produced by Hewson et al. (2019) that were made open access, environmental and modern slavery datasets we have provided an overview of the relationship between modern slavery and tree loss globally. Moreover, we have provided a breakdown into the vulnerabilities, at-risk sectors and possible policy areas where antislavery interventions may be incorporated to support people and nature.
Gathering data to support the understanding of the modern slavery-environmental degradation nexus is key to the growing work that is being undertaken in the antislavery space. This is hopefully the start of these empirical assessments into the forestry sector. Whilst we answer some questions, more have been raised and in order to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals we must all be thinking about the connections which lead to the exploitation of people, and the destruction of the environment. Our within forests and other sectors is far from over, if anything it is only just beginning.
The full paper is available via Conservation Science and Practice: https://doi.org/10.1111.csp2.183
References
Brown, D., Boyd, D.S., Brickell, K., Ives, C., Natarajan, N., and Parsons, L. (2019). Modern slavery, environmental degradation and climate change: Fisheries, field, forests and factories. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space.
Hewson, J., Crema, S.C., González-Roglich, M., Tabor, K., and Harvey, C.A. (2019). New 1 km Resolution Datasets of Global and Regional Risks of Tree Cover Loss. Land, 8(1), 14.
In our new paper for the Rights Lab, published in Conservation Science and Practice, we seek to quantify the link between modern slavery and tree loss; focusing on four countries - Brazil, Ghana, Indonesia and Mozambique - which have all had documented cases of modern slavery and labour exploitation associated with activities and sectors that lead to deforestation and forest degradation.
Using remote sensing data products, risks of tree cover loss data produced by Hewson et al. (2019) that were made open access, environmental and modern slavery datasets we have provided an overview of the relationship between modern slavery and tree loss globally. Moreover, we have provided a breakdown into the vulnerabilities, at-risk sectors and possible policy areas where antislavery interventions may be incorporated to support people and nature.
Gathering data to support the understanding of the modern slavery-environmental degradation nexus is key to the growing work that is being undertaken in the antislavery space. This is hopefully the start of these empirical assessments into the forestry sector. Whilst we answer some questions, more have been raised and in order to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals we must all be thinking about the connections which lead to the exploitation of people, and the destruction of the environment. Our within forests and other sectors is far from over, if anything it is only just beginning.
The full paper is available via Conservation Science and Practice: https://doi.org/10.1111.csp2.183
References
Brown, D., Boyd, D.S., Brickell, K., Ives, C., Natarajan, N., and Parsons, L. (2019). Modern slavery, environmental degradation and climate change: Fisheries, field, forests and factories. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space.
Hewson, J., Crema, S.C., González-Roglich, M., Tabor, K., and Harvey, C.A. (2019). New 1 km Resolution Datasets of Global and Regional Risks of Tree Cover Loss. Land, 8(1), 14.
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