Cocoa

Ghana

Cocoa deforestation is the amount of deforestation within a 15-year allocation period that is converted to cocoa plantations. To calculate it, we overlapped the cocoa area map from (Kalischek et al., 2023) (representing cocoa plantations in 2019 to 2021) with the annual loss of undisturbed Tropical Moist Forests from the EC JRC Tropical Moist Forest dataset (Vancutsem et al., 2021), applying a four-year lag between deforestation and first potential harvest to reflect the time from planting to harvest. Note that this does not account for cocoa expansion after 2021, and values for the most recent 2 years may change in the future when new versions of the Tropical Moist Forest dataset are released, updated to reflect whether recent forest change shows temporary degradation or permanent deforestation.

This metric estimates how much deforestation is associated with the cocoa exports in the selected year and department. Here, deforestation was defined as the conversion from undisturbed forest to non-forest (Renier et al., 2023; Vancutsem et al., 2021). To estimate the deforestation associated with the cocoa exports in a specific year,  we used a) a four-year lag between cocoa planting and the first harvest (the first year of potential cocoa exports), and b) aggregated deforestation at the location of cocoa production across 15 years. By setting these parameters we are assuming that the plantations will be ready for harvesting, and consequently starting to contribute to the volume traded, in the fourth year after the deforestation event. For example, cocoa exported in 2021 was planted in 2017 or earlier. We calculate cocoa deforestation in 2021 (Vancutsem et al., 2021) as the sum of deforestation defined by the area converted from undisturbed forest in 2002 to non-forest in 2017 at the location of the cocoa plantation (Kalischek et al., 2023).

Ghana - Cocoa deforestation embedded in trade

Deforestation of undisturbed Tropical Moist Forest derived from EC JRC Tropical Moist Forest dataset (Vancutsem et al., 2021). Note that values for the most recent 2 years may change in the future when new versions of the Tropical Moist Forest dataset are released, updated to reflect whether recent forest change shows temporary degradation or permanent deforestation.

Deforestation maps were derived from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre 's TMF dataset Version 1 from 2023 (Vancutsem et al., 2021) using 41 years of Landsat time series at 30 metre spatial resolution and aggregated at department level. Deforestation refers to the year of change in land cover, from undisturbed or degraded forest (see above) to non-forest (Vancutsem et al., 2021).

Ghana - Deforestation

Degradation of Tropical Moist Forest derived from EC JRC Tropical Moist Forest dataset (Vancutsem et al., 2021). Note that values for the most recent 2 years may change in the future when new versions of the Tropical Moist Forest dataset are released, updated to reflect whether recent forest change shows temporary degradation or permanent deforestation.

Maps of degraded forest were derived from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre's TMF dataset Version 1 from 2023  (Vancutsem et al., 2021) using 41 years of Landsat time series at 30 metre spatial resolution and aggregated at department level. Forest degradation was defined as a disturbance in the tree cover canopy  visible from space over a short time period (< 2.5 years). A 'forest degradation' pixel remains forested land; i.e.,  covered by existing or regrowing trees, whereas a 'deforestation' pixel leads to the long-term (visible > 2.5 years) conversion into non-forested land  (Vancutsem et al., 2021).

Ghana - Degradation

Gross CO₂-equivalent emissions from cocoa deforestation (15-year allocation period, 4-year lag), estimated from the loss of above- and below-ground biomass (excluding soil carbon). Carbon stocks were converted to CO₂-equivalent by multiplying by 3.67. To calculate above and belowground biomass loss, we overlapped the cocoa area map from (Kalischek et al., 2023) (representing cocoa plantations in 2019 to 2021) with the loss of undisturbed Tropical Moist Forests from the EC JRC Tropical Moist Forest dataset (Vancutsem et al., 2021), applying a four-year lag between deforestation and first potential harvest to reflect the time from planting to harvest. Note that values for the most recent 2 years may change in the future when new versions of the Tropical Moist Forest dataset are released, updated to reflect whether recent forest change shows temporary degradation or permanent deforestation.

GHG emissions from cocoa deforestation (tonnes of CO₂-eq) were calculated within a given year and department by estimating all of the CO₂-eq. potentially emitted due to cocoa deforestation. Here, deforestation was defined as the conversion from undisturbed forest to deforested land (Vancutsem et al., 2021) within the period starting 19 years and ending 4 years before the detection of cocoa plantation by (Kalischek et al., 2023). This metric is calculated by multiplying the deforested area by an estimate of the carbon stock contained in each hectare of deforested land. Carbon stocks represent the total carbon stored in above- and below-ground biomass, but does not include carbon stocks in the soil. We create local estimates of biomass density (carbon stocks per hectare) using data from (Soto-Navarro et al., 2020). Carbon is converted into CO₂-eq emissions by multiplying by a factor of 44/12 ( or 3.67), based on the ratio between the molecular weight of C and CO₂ following (Pachauri et al., 2015).

Ghana - Gross emissions from cocoa deforestation

Gross CO₂-eq. emissions from deforestation, estimated from the loss of above- and below-ground biomass (excluding soil carbon) from the EC JRC Tropical Moist Forest dataset (Vancutsem et al., 2021). Carbon stocks were converted to CO₂-eq. by multiplying by 3.67. Note that values for the most recent 2 years may change in the future when new versions of the Tropical Moist Forest dataset are released, updated to reflect whether recent forest change shows temporary degradation or permanent deforestation.

Gross (greenhouse gas) emissions from territorial deforestation (tonnes of CO2-eq) were calculated by estimating the maximum CO2-eq potentially emitted due to the full removal of the biomass as a result of territorial deforestation, estimated in a given year. This metric is calculated by multiplying the area of territorial deforestation by an estimate of the carbon stock contained in each hectare of converted land. Carbon stocks represent the total carbon stored in above- and below-ground biomass, but does not include carbon stocks in the soil. We create local estimates of biomass density (carbon stocks per hectare) using data from (Soto-Navarro et al., 2020). Carbon is converted into CO₂-eq emissions by multiplying by a factor of 44/12 ( or 3.67), based on the ratio between the molecular weight of C and CO₂ following (Pachauri et al., 2015).

Ghana - Gross greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation

Net greenhouse gas emissions from cocoa deforestation (15-year allocation period, 4-year lag), were calculated as the difference between gross emissions from cocoa deforestation and sequestration in new cocoa plantations. To calculate above and belowground biomass loss, we overlapped the cocoa area map from (Kalischek et al., 2023) (representing cocoa plantations in 2019 to 2021) with the loss of undisturbed Tropical Moist Forests from the EC JRC Tropical Moist Forest dataset (Vancutsem et al., 2021), applying a four-year lag between deforestation and first potential harvest to reflect the time from planting to harvest. Note that values for the most recent 2 years may change in the future when new versions of the Tropical Moist Forest dataset are released, updated to reflect whether recent forest change shows temporary degradation or permanent deforestation.

We calculate net greenhouse gas emissions from annual deforestation as the difference between gross greenhouse gas emissions from cocoa deforestation and carbon sequestration in cocoa plantations. To account for carbon sequestration, we adopted estimates from (Vervuurt et al., 2022) of 19 t C ha-1 in cocoa trees and 4 t C ha-1 in shade trees.

Ghana - Net emissions from cocoa deforestation

Area of undisturbed Tropical Moist Forest derived from EC JRC Tropical Moist Forest dataset (Vancutsem et al., 2021). Note that values for the most recent 2 years may change in the future when new versions of the Tropical Moist Forest dataset are released, updated to reflect whether recent forest change shows temporary degradation or permanent deforestation.

Undisturbed forest maps were derived from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre's forest cover change in tropical moist forests (TMF) dataset Version 1 from 2023 (Vancutsem et al., 2021) using 41 years of Landsat time series at 30 metre spatial resolution and aggregated at department level. Undisturbed forest was defined as a closed evergreen or semi-evergreen forest without any disturbance observed over the full Landsat historical dataset (Vancutsem et al., 2021).

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