摘要：The recent expansion and intensification of natural rubber cultivation has been associatedwith widespread forest conversion, habitat and biodiversity loss, increased livelihood vulnerabilities and, in some cases, dispossession of land. While these issues have attracted considerable attention from scientific and academic communities, public awareness – particularlyin terms of consumer demand for standards and certification – has been slow to develop incomparison to other agro-commodity crops. Drawing on the concepts of global value chainanalysis, management swing potential and issue attention cycle, this article examines therelatively slow uptake of natural rubber eco-certification through a comparison of three casestudies in Jambi (Indonesia), Xishuangbanna (China) and Kerala (India). This study finds thatnatural rubber certification has taken a path of least resistance, emerging in relatively shortvalue chains characterized by high degrees of vertical integration where existing productionpractices require minimal adjustment to achieve certification. Although certification programmes often position themselves as transparent and accountable alternatives to government regulation, the success of these programmes is dependent on the continued presenceof the state to establish the necessary institutional and social foundations for private regulation to operate successfully. Consumer pressure plays an important role in evoking sustainability initiatives and influencing standards, yet when disconnected from the specific issuesassociated with a particular commodity, public concerns may produce standards and forms ofcertification that need to be complemented by sub-national and national policy and programmes in providing solutions for ecosystem service and social problems.
关键词：Eco-certification;rubberagroforestry;ecosystemservices;global value chains;China;Indonesia;India
