The Amazon rainforest is the largest and most biodiverse forest on the planet. It comprises approximately one-third of the world's rainforest area and one-third of its plant and animal species. The Brazilian Amazon biome, which includes the rainforest and related ecosystems, is also home to millions of people.

Bunge is working with industry partners, farmers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders to find ways to balance human development with the need to preserve the Amazon biome.

Bunge and other members of Brazil's vegetable oil and grain exporting industries have formed a dedicated soy working group with WWF, Greenpeace, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy and other NGOs. The group, which builds on an industry commitment made in 2006 to stop trading soy from newly deforested areas of the Amazon biome, is working to promote responsible agriculture and help ensure the preservation of the Amazon.

Sub-groups have been created to find solutions in three primary areas: mapping and monitoring; education, information and forest code; and institutional relations.

Working with Brazil's National Institute for Space Research, the mapping and monitoring sub-group is developing highly detailed maps and satellite images of the Amazon biome as a first step in establishing a monitoring system for the region.

The education, information and forest-code sub-group is working to inform farmers about Brazil's forestry laws, the moratorium and environmental best practices. The sub-group has published "Understanding the Soy Moratorium: Responsible Production" for growers in the region. The institutional relations sub-group is consulting with the Brazilian government at the federal and state level on the development of more effective zoning policies and enforcement strategies.

In its first year, the soy working group has made progress toward longer-term solutions. It has defined key issues and necessary tools, informed farmers about the moratorium and responsible agriculture, and increased dialogue among industry, civil society and government.

Next steps include implementing mapping and monitoring systems and advancing federal and state policy discussions.

You can learn more about the soy working group's progress and next steps by reading the "First-Year Report on Soy Moratorium in the Amazon Biome" and the presentation "Sustainable Soy Production – Strategic Actions." For updates on the progress of the soy working group, visit the web site of ABIOVE, the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries.