Resource information
Global demand for timber, agricultural commodities, and extractives is a significant driver of deforestation worldwide. Transparent land-concessions data for these large-scale commercial activities are essential to understand drivers of forest loss, monitor environmental impacts of ongoing activities, and ensure efficient and sustainable allocation of land. However, most countries lack comprehensive datasets on the precise location, extent, and ownership of land concessions, making it difficult to accurately understand how forest resources are being exploited, identify overlapping land uses, and monitor company activity. This working paper gives an overview of the availability of information for land concessions in 14 forested countries (Brazil, Canada, Cambodia, Colombia, Indonesia, Liberia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Republic of the Congo, and Russia), with a special focus on open spatial information. This paper examines the existence of laws governing the disclosure of concessions data and assesses the completeness and quality of concessions data across countries and sectors, as reported by a network of in-country researchers.