WHAT ARE WE DOING?
The UK Research and Innovation’s Global Challenges Research Fund is funding the UKRI GCRF Trade, Development and the Environment Hub, led by the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). This five-year project, funded until 2024, is the first research hub of its kind – bringing together over 50 organisations from 15 different countries to help make trade sustainable for people and the planet.
Together, these partners from industry, trade agencies, research, governments and civil society will study all stages of various supply chains, revealing damaging links and potential ways to make lasting change.
We will investigate the trends and impacts of trade in:
- wildlife
- wild meat
- agricultural goods
Their trade will be traced across the world from their origins in Brazil, Cameroon, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Indonesia, Republic of Congo, and Tanzania.
2) MODELLING THE FUTURE
We will inject this information from national and trade-specific studies into global models which predict how shifts in trade patterns will affect both people and nature. Working alongside companies, as well as including trade rules and investment guidelines, will make these models powerful tools for understanding how our decisions as consumers affect the planet.
1) IMPACTS OF TRADE
Mapping the journey of commodities from their origin, through trading companies and to their destination, will shed light on their impact on people and the natural world. This, when combined with our analysis of the underlying economic systems, will allow us to recommend how to sustainably produce, trade and consume wild products and goods, as well as help companies to understand their products’ full environmental impact.
3) BEYOND THE HUB
Using the latest technologies and strong partnerships, we will develop tools for countries, companies and decision makers so they can take this work forward – helping to make sustainable trade a positive force well into the future.