FSC leaders at Forest Conference
Contribution by FSC International FSC welcomed delegates to the first day of the Forest Conference with opening remarks from FSC Board of Directors Chairman Roberto Waack.
Mr. Waack began by extending gratitude to the delegates for participating in the GA and for their overall commitment to FSC.
He highlighted the milestones that FSC celebrates at this General Assembly of members, including almost 15 years of vision in action and FSC benchmarks such as 100 million certified hectares, nearly 1000 forest management certificates and more than 10,000 Chain of Custody certificates around the globe.
Acknowledging the complex nature of the FSC system, Mr. Waack encouraged delegates to continue the commitment with strong focus on raising standards, as well as assuring stability and credibility. Highlighting the implementation of the FSC Global Strategy, released in 2007, he reaffirmed the focus of FSC to provide leadership in responsible forest management; to ensure equitable access to the benefits of FSC; to secure the integrity, credibility and transparency; to create more business value than products from non-certified forests; and to strengthen our global network to deliver these goals.
While highlighting the Global Strategy, Mr. Waack addressed areas where FSC continues to face challenges. Among them he pointed to establishing a solid presence in Africa, the development of small forest holders and communities, and also how to better facilitate productive dialogue on FSC certified plantations.
“Recognizing our failures is the beginning of the way to fixing the situations that are not properly addressed. I have no doubt that the most important element to address the failures is through the membership participation,” he told delegates.
He noted changes in the forest debate such as issues around carbon, land use, biofuel, environmental services, new financial schemes and new monitoring technology. The best path to prioritize new challenges, he said, was through guidance from the membership at the General Assembly.
As the responsibilities placed upon FSC continue to grow, Mr. Waack encouraged delegates to continue to believe in and support FSC. In closing, he pointed to the opportunities at hand such as embracing the strengths of the FSC system, working constructively with critical feedback and continuing to lead responsible forest management.
