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Green labelling being misused

Nature volume 475, page 174 (2011)Cite this article

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'Green' labelling of items produced sustainably has become a much-publicized tool of the environmental movement. But green-label criteria that were developed for forestry are now being inappropriately applied to agricultural crops — with unacceptable risks to wildlife.

The high conservation value (HCV) concept was originally intended for timber harvested without harming large forest blocks or critically endangered flora and fauna. It has since been extended to some of the most rapidly expanding crops in the tropics — namely, oil palm, soya bean, sugar cane and cacao — ostensibly to ensure their 'sustainable' production.

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  1. Princeton University, New Jersey, USA

    David P. Edwards, Brendan Fisher & David S. Wilcove

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  1. David P. Edwards
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  2. Brendan Fisher
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  3. David S. Wilcove
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Correspondence to David P. Edwards.

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Edwards, D., Fisher, B. & Wilcove, D. Green labelling being misused. Nature 475, 174 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/475174d

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