Clever project

The EU’s biodiversity strategy for 2030 is a key part of the European Green Deal. The aim is to put Europe’s biodiversity on the path to recovery by 2030. Research and innovation are key to delivering results. In this context, the EU-funded CLEVER project will identify new leverage points for sustainable transformation. Applying a novel holistic approach, the project will quantify biodiversity and other impacts of trade in major raw and processed non-food biomass value chains. At the system level, CLEVER will improve our understanding of leakage effects in the non-food biomass trade system. At the value chain level, it will engage with producers, traders, retailers, civil society, and policymakers to identify leverage points for transformative change at corporate and institutional levels.

Main objectives

CLEVER identifies new leverage points for sustainable transformation informed by a novel holistic approach to quantify biodiversity and other impacts of trade in major raw and processed non-food biomass value chains. In line with Pillars 3 & 4 of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, we address all outcomes of this topic by adopting perspectives at the system and value chain levels. At the system level, we improve our understanding of leakage effects in the non-food biomass trade system informed by quasi-experimental evaluation techniques, quantitative scenario modelling, and policy case studies. At the value chain level, CLEVER engages with key stakeholders (i.e. producers, traders, retailers, civil society, and policy makers) in R&I co-design to identify leverage points for transformative change at corporate and institutional levels. Value chain analyses will produce ecological footprints from advanced life cycle analyses and enhance our understanding of actor-specific behavior focusing on trade in soy, timber, wood pulp, and fishmeal/oil between Europe, South America, and Central Africa. Further CLEVER products and tools to influence decision-making at the right level include (1) improved indicators of biodiversity loss to inform business and policy, (2) enhanced features for the global modelling platform GLOBIOM to quantify trade-mediated leakage and SDG interdependencies in biomass value chains, and (3) an innovation action pool to support public and private decision-makers in choosing governance instruments that effectively enhance biodiversity and promote climate change mitigation and adaptation. Building on prior and ongoing engagement of its members at the science-policy interface and through partnerships with other projects under the destination on biodiversity and ecosystem services, the consortium will leverage CLEVER knowledge and tools to strengthen IPBES and IPCC and enhance science-industry cooperation for sustainable bioeconomic transformation.

Main results

WP2 – Innovative methodology correcting for sampling effort bias in biodiversity models; – Improved Biodiversity metrics (Species richness, abundance, and endemism); * Impacts: more accurate and comprehensive information about biodiversity impacts for planning and expanding conservation efforts. WP 3 – Sourcing patterns change in response demand shocks in combination with voluntary and mandatory due diligence initiatives as well as to changes in deforestation risk at the supply side; – Heterogeneous effects of trade policy on aquaculture expansion in young versus mature industries; * Impacts: Public and private decision-makers develop more effective policy proposals to address indirect drivers of biodiversity loss WP4 & WP5 – Map of public and private policies and governance mechanisms; – Value chain maps of five value chains; – Theoretical framework & Value chain actors’ behavioral responses to the EU Regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR) – 2 policy support studies, 3 peer-reviewed publications, 6 presentations at academic conferences and expert workshops. * Impacts: (1) biodiversity is integrated into public and private decision making; (2) Interdisciplinary biodiversity research around these value chains is more interconnected across Europe, South America, and Central Africa. WP6 – Estimates of burned areas, as well as productivity and environmental impacts of soy & pulpwood production systems; – Improvements to the representation of global non-food biomass value chains and trade in modeling; – Preliminary environmental footprint for soybean imports from Brazil to the EU at the subnational scale, including emissions and resource consumption per unit of soy for the supply chains identified. * Impacts: (1) biodiversity is integrated into public and private decision making and (2) biodiversity interrelations with climate, water, and food are better known. WP7 – Communication material to enable co-design of modeling framework & support result communication; – Analysis of potential future development of selected supply chains and related pressures on biodiversity & Ecosystem Service; – Analysis on the effectiveness, efficiency and co-benefits of various supply chain policy / governance initiatives. * Impacts: (1) biodiversity is integrated into public and private decision making; (2) Approaches and strategies to enable transformative societal change linked to CLEVER’s focus value chains are identified at the policy level. WP8 – Stakeholder mapping for the supply chains considered in Clever; – Co-designed Modelling Framework for Supply Chain Governance Initiatives; * Impacts: Effective communication at the science-policy interface on indirect drivers of biodiversity impacts and SDG interrelationships in these value chains leads to more ambitious international environmental policy and conventions; value chain actors mainstream ‘do no harm’ biodiversity strategies informed by CLEVER’s tools and data products.

Clever

Main objectives

Main results

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