GRAS contributed in SYMOBIO 2.0 for German Bioeconomy monitoring

GRAS partnered with the project SYMOBIO 2.0: Consolidation of Systemic Monitoring and Modelling of the Bioeconomy, supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung). The summary of the result is published in the report ‘Monitoring the German Bioeconomy: Status, Performance, Trends, and Implications for Sustainable Development’.

GRAS started its contribution with engagement in “SYMOBIO 1.0” where Meo Carbon Solutions and GRAS provided evidence that efficient and accurate monitoring of the bioeconomy must be extended to the beginning of the supply chain, the biomass production at the farm, plantation, and forestry level. Following this, in “SYMOBIO 2.0” (2022-2024), GRAS developed a semi-automatic system for assessing crop-driven deforestation, focusing on palm-driven deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia from 2008 to 2021 (Figure 1).

The consolidated map shows the deforestation attributed to oil palm cultivation between 2015 and 2021 in regions of Indonesia and Malaysia.
Figure 1. The consolidated map shows the deforestation attributed to oil palm cultivation between 2015 and 2021 in regions of Indonesia and Malaysia.

Quantifying the extent to which crop production contributes to global deforestation provides a valuable context for understanding the role of the German bioeconomy within broader global trends. This insight helps to assess the associated risks and reveals how consumption patterns influence deforestation rates based on the sourcing of specific crops. For example, GRAS analyzed the impact of soy and sugarcane deforestation on High Conservation Value (HCV) areas in Brazil for the 2008 to 2021 (Figure 2 &3).

Figure 2. Soybeans-driven deforestation impacting HCV.
Figure 3. Sugarcane-driven deforestation impacting HCV

GRAS plans to continue supporting monitoring efforts in the future by focusing on crop-driven deforestation. This approach will help enhance the understanding, tracking, and mitigation of deforestation caused by agricultural expansion on a global scale. The results will assist in connecting consumption, production, and extractive systems, thereby facilitating a deeper understanding of the impacts across supply chains and enabling the identification of key areas of concern, particularly in relation to displaced environmental and social burdens (at multiple scales) within the context of the German bioeconomy.

Download the full report here.