It’s a wicked problem: reducing tropical deforestation while allowing countries to develop and cut poverty. Resolving means striking a balance between environmental, social and economic goals – and there will be trade-offs. This video ventures into the Amazon rainforest to assess the effects of Brazil’s strategy – aligning public and private interests to move toward sustainable production of beef.

Research on the drivers of deforestation and on sustainable supply chains is one big focus of Flagship 5 of the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA). Public private collaboration was key to first successes to curb deforestation in Brazil, says Flagship coordinator Pablo Pacheco, Principal Scientist at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).