Noa Brown

Topic

Data, Deforestation, and Due Diligence: The Techno-politics of the European Union Deforestation Regulation

Department of Geography

Date & location

• Friday, June 19, 2026

• 11:00 A.M.

• David Turpin Building

• Room B215

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Sophia Carodenuto, Department of Geography, University of Victoria (Supervisor)

• Dr. Eric Kumeh, Department of Geography, UVic (Member) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Juliet Lu, Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia 

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Natalie Ban, School of Environmental Studies, UVic 

Abstract

Remote sensing technologies are increasingly used not only to measure environmental change but also to determine compliance with environmental regulations. The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) exemplifies this shift by requiring commodity importers to provide geolocation data for production plots and verify they do not overlap with deforestation. Commodity production is the largest driver of forest loss, but also supports the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers who rely on selling their crops for export. The EUDR relies on technology and measurable targets that may obscure the lived experiences and customary practices of these farmers and exclude them from one of the largest consumer markets. 

This thesis examines the role of remote sensing in determining compliance with the EUDR through two qualitative studies. The first chapter focuses on Ghana’s cocoa sector, drawing on focus group discussions with smallholder farmers and interviews with government and non-governmental actors. It identifies how the EUDR is being operationalized through domestic policy in a top cocoa producing country as well as contestations between how the EUDR defines and measures forests and farmers conceptions and practices. The findings show how farmers’ traditional use of land is at odds with the EUDR’s standard definition of forests as measured through remote sensing. The second chapter examines supply chain traceability companies that analyze geospatial data to assess EUDR compliance, with attention to key data sources and methods and their implications. Through interviews with private actors and other environmental monitoring experts, this study finds that the technological requirements of the EUDR privilege advanced sectors of the economy while largely excluding the knowledge and experience of farmers in producing landscapes. 

Taken together, the studies in this thesis provide critical context to the core mechanisms of the EUDR, identifying where technological monitoring conflicts with local conceptions and needs in producing countries. The findings highlight challenges to data collection and analysis as well as concerns about farmer inclusion and local governance. As a result of these challenges, the EUDR is shifting attention toward technical compliance rather than underlying drivers of deforestation. Remote sensing is a powerful tool to visualize land cover change, but may not be appropriate for determining market access, especially at the global scale of the regulation. This thesis contributes to ongoing debates about the EUDR and global environmental and supply chain governance, emphasizing implications for equity and effectiveness.

Keywords: deforestation, remote sensing, commodity supply chains, cocoa farming, traceability, environmental governance, Ghana, technology.