Are Soybeans Driving Deforestation in South America?
Soybean production is expanding across South America, fueling both direct and latent deforestation in key ecosystems while raising global sustainability questions.
Soybean cultivation has become a central force in the transformation of South American landscapes. While soy is a critical commodity in the global food supply, its expansion has raised urgent questions about its impact on native forests, biodiversity, and climate stability.
Understanding Soybean-Driven Deforestation
Deforestation linked to soy production is a multi-faceted phenomenon. Recent research reveals that from 2001 to 2016, South America lost millions of hectares of native forest directly or indirectly due to soybean expansion. In total, 3.4 million hectares were directly converted to soy fields, while a similar figure underwent latent conversion—where forests are cleared, land is initially used for grazing, and only later shifted to soy cultivation.
- Direct conversion: Forest is cleared and soy is planted within three years.
- Latent conversion: Forest is cleared, used for other purposes (like pasture), and soy is planted after three or more years.
- Indirect displacement: Expansion of soy onto existing agricultural land pushes cattle ranching or other crops into forested regions elsewhere, making impact harder to quantify.
Soybean’s Share of Total Deforestation
Soy accounted for approximately 5% of South America’s total forest loss from 2001 to 2016. This relatively moderate proportion belies the significant ecological changes occurring in sensitive regions.
Where Is Deforestation from Soy Most Prevalent?
The impact of soy-driven deforestation is not evenly distributed. Certain biomes—especially those rich in biodiversity and crucial for climate regulation—are experiencing disproportionate change.
| Biome | Total Forest Loss (Kha) | Total Soy Gain (Kha) | Direct Soy-Driven Deforestation (Kha) | Latent Soy-Driven Deforestation (Kha) | % Forest Loss Converted to Soy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazilian Amazon | 27,766 | 3,294 | 692 | 982 | 6.0% |
| Atlantic Forest | 6,935 | 4,689 | 291 | 250 | 7.8% |
| Caatinga | 2,759 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0.2% |
| Cerrado | 14,316 | 7,536 | 1,493 | 885 | 16.6% |
| Chaco | 9,837 | 1,061 | 505 | 529 | 10.5% |
| Chiquitania | 1,724 | 354 | 220 | 104 | 18.8% |
| Pampas | 1,243 | 8,669 | 69 | 83 | 12.2% |
| Pantanal | 626 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0.2% |
This data highlights the Cerrado and Chiquitania as particularly vulnerable hotspots, with over 16.6% and 18.8% of their total forest loss resulting from soy-driven conversion, respectively.
Soy Expansion Hotspots: Focus on Bolivia, Brazil, and Beyond
Most global attention has focused on Brazil, but neighboring countries also face mounting pressures:
- Cerrado (Brazil): A rich savanna, more threatened than the Amazon by soy expansion with substantial direct and latent conversion.
- Chiquitano Dry Forest (Bolivia): In 2019, 49,000 hectares of forest were replaced by soy, making up 80% of Bolivia’s new soy fields that year. The region is a unique biodiversity corridor, increasingly endangered.
- Chaco (Argentina & Paraguay): Grassland and forest mosaic under threat, significant proportions of soybean expansion stem from direct forest conversion.
Other Regions
- Pampas: Dominated by agriculture for decades, recent soy expansion also affected native grasslands and remnants of forest.
- Atlantic Forest: Fragmented but critical, small-scale expansion persists.
Who Drives Demand for Soybeans?
The forces behind soy-driven deforestation are globally interconnected. Soy’s principal uses are:
- Livestock Feed: Most soy produced in South America is exported and transformed into animal feed for poultry, pork, and beef—especially in China, the EU, and the US.
- Biofuels and Oils: A smaller fraction is processed into biodiesel, cooking oils, and food ingredients.
- Food Products: Only a modest share becomes tofu, soy milk, or other direct human foods.
What others are reading
Global commodity demand, rather than local food needs, is the principal driver of soy expansion in vulnerable ecosystems.
Deforestation Mechanics: Direct, Latent, and Indirect Impacts
Understanding how soy drives deforestation is crucial to developing smart policy responses.
Direct Deforestation
The most visible impact occurs when tracts of forest are cleared and immediately converted to soy fields. This process is closely tracked by satellite imagery and direct land-use change records.
Latent Conversion
Many areas are cleared initially for cattle pasture or other crops, but within three or more years, soy is introduced. This delayed transition complicates efforts to curb deforestation through regulation because the initial clearing is not immediately linked to soy production.
Indirect Land Displacement
Soy can drive deforestation indirectly: as more soy replaces existing croplands, displaced cattle ranching or subsistence agriculture may shift into new forests elsewhere, thus perpetuating a cycle of land clearance whose origin is difficult to track.
Regulatory Responses and Industry Initiatives
Confronting soy-driven deforestation requires coordinated action from governments, private industry, and civil society.
- Amazon Soy Moratorium: Implemented in 2006 (amended in 2008), prohibits purchasing soy grown on land deforested in the Brazilian Amazon after the cutoff year. This policy dramatically reduced direct soy-driven deforestation there.
- Certification Schemes: Programs such as the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS) promote sustainable practices but still face implementation gaps.
- National Policy: Some countries have strengthened land protection laws, but enforcement lags and loopholes persist. The moratorium covers the Amazon, but not the Cerrado or Chaco.
Effectiveness
After the Soy Moratorium, Amazon-linked soy deforestation fell sharply. However, expansion simply shifted to less-protected biomes, notably the Cerrado, Chaco, and Bolivian forests. Without comprehensive, continent-wide policies, soy expansion continues to pressure new forest frontiers.
Can Soy Production Be Sustainable?
Researchers and advocacy groups are exploring ways to balance soy’s role in global food security with the need to conserve forests and biodiversity.
- Improved yield on already-cleared land, avoiding new conversion.
- Sustainable sourcing commitments from major soy buyers (especially animal feed companies).
- Expansion of regulatory coverage to include all threatened biomes.
- Development of traceability systems to track soy’s geographic origins and conversion history.
- Support for cattle ranchers and farmers to adopt agroecological practices that reduce pressure on forests.
While promising, these solutions remain limited by current market incentives and insufficient regulatory scope.
Key Facts and Figures
- 8.2 million hectares of global forest replaced by soy (2001–2015), with 7.9 million in South America.
- In Bolivia, 49,000 hectares of forest replaced with soy in 2019 alone.
- Soy accounts for 5% of total forest loss in South America (2001–2016).
- Direct conversion most prevalent in the Cerrado and Chiquitania biomes, with up to 18.8% of deforestation tied to soy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Is soy the main driver of deforestation in South America?
No. Soy accounts for a relatively small proportion (about 5%) of total deforestation, but its expansion has outsized impact in ecologically sensitive areas, threatening endemic species and carbon stocks.
Q: Why is soy expansion still occurring despite moratoriums?
While the Amazon Soy Moratorium curbed expansion in the Brazilian Amazon, soy production has shifted to other biomes—Cerrado, Chaco, and Bolivian forests—which lack equivalent protections.
Q: Is most soy grown for human food?
No. About 75% of global soy is used as animal feed for livestock, with only a small fraction used in foods like tofu or soy milk.
Q: What distinguishes direct and latent soy-driven deforestation?
Direct deforestation occurs when forest is immediately cleared for soy; latent deforestation involves forest cleared for other use (often grazing), then converted to soy after a few years.
Q: How can consumers help reduce deforestation related to soy?
Choosing sustainably-sourced animal products and supporting certification initiatives can help shift market incentives. Reducing unnecessary meat consumption indirectly lowers demand for soy-intensive animal feed.
Conclusion: The Path Forward for Soy and South America’s Forests
Soybean production is not singularly responsible for South America’s deforestation, but its rapid expansion—fuelled overwhelmingly by livestock feed demand—puts immense pressure on key forests and biodiversity hotspots. The mechanics of direct, latent, and indirect conversion mean regulatory solutions must anticipate shifting market and land use patterns. Broadening moratoriums, improving transparency, and aligning economic incentives with ecological sustainability are all essential steps to safeguarding the continent’s forests for future generations.
References
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8350977/
- https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/forest-insights/soy-production-forests-south-america/
- https://gfr.wri.org/forest-extent-indicators/deforestation-agriculture
- https://efi.int/news/hidden-impact-soy-imports-deforestation-and-biodiversity-loss-2024-11-12
- https://ourworldindata.org/drivers-of-deforestation
- https://earth.org/soybean-products-and-its-environmental-impact/
- https://www.wwf.org.uk/myfootprint/challenges/expansion-soy-bean-farms-has-led-vast-areas-deforestation-and-destruction
- https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and-updates/amazon-region-2022-and-2023-deforestation-forest-degradation-and-risk-growing-soy-production-2024-02-28_en
Similar Articles
Read full bio of medha deb
