Vital Forest Graphics

CANADA

Certification for sustainable forest management

UNITED STATES

SPAIN

MEXICO

VENEZUELA

Areas of forest certified as being under sustainable management have increased tremendously over the last ten years, but still only cover 7.6 per cent of the world’s forests

of Forestry Certification (PEFC), the Canadian Standards Association, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Certifi- cacao Florestal in Brazil, the Malaysia Timber Certification Council, Lem- baga Ekolabel Indonesia, and the Chil- ean Forest Certification System. Certification is a market-based me- chanism designed to encourage envi- ronmentally sustainable and socially responsible forestry practices. Third party certification organizations use a range of environmental and social criteria to audit forestry operations and forest products. Timber opera- tions awarded certificates can then use the certification label for marketing purposes. The total area of forest falling under the major certification schemes has increased more than tenfold since 1998 (UNECE/FAO 2007). As awareness of the scale of global deforestation has grown, so has demand for certified for-

PERU

BRAZIL

BOLIVIA

CHILE

Source: FAO, FSC, PEFC. After a map compi led and produced by Moïse Tsayem Demaze, University of Maine, Le Mans, France.

? n 1993, a number of environmental groups and other interested parties responded to growing concern about forest degradation and loss by creating the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a private initiative designed to promote voluntary forest certification. Over the following years the forest industry, forest owners associations and oth- ers created a number of additional certification organizations, including the Programme for the Endorsement

est products. Some large timber indus- try operators have used certification and best practices to establish a greener profile and expand their markets. The Canadian firm Tembec, for example, says certification helped the company to win the business of North America’s biggest lumber buyer, Home Depot, and survive an industry downturn (Gazette 2008). Certification has also benefited national economies. Bolivia’s FSC- certified forests, soon to cover more than 2 million hectares (WWF-Bolivia 2008), make up about a quarter of the country’s total forested area. As a result, Bolivia is one of the leading tropical forest nations to adopt the certifica- tion process. Officials say certification, backed by progressive forestry laws, has helped the country to export US$ 16 million worth of timber per year to the US and European markets. Certi- fication has also provided important benefits to local communities, while encouraging a transition from the fell-

Forest certification: regional breakdown

Million ha

North America

PEFC* FSC SFI ATFS MTCC

100 120 140 160

Western Europe

20 0 40 60 80

Eastern and Central Europe

Asia

Latin America

Africa

Oceania

* including CERFLOR and CSA

Source: Cashore et al. 2006.

54 VITAL FOREST GRAPHICS