Yesterday several motions related to providing equitable access to certification were passed. Among other decisions made by the assembly, voters asked FSC to develop a strategy to increase the level of forest certification in the tropical zone.
"Goal 2: ensure equitable acces to the the benefits of the FSC system". Under this headline – taken from the FSC Global Strategy – several motions were accepted by the voters on the first day of the business session.
Strategy to increase certification in the tropics
While forest certification in the tropics certainly has seen a very good growth over the past 2-3 years, tropical certificates still comprise only a small share of the total certified forest area. At the same time deforestation rates remain high, causing a long list of well-known negative consequences and highlighting the need for FSC.
By voting for motion number 28 yesterday, the membership asked FSC to develop a strategy addressing the need to increase certification in the tropics, with particular emphasis on community forest and SLIMF operations.
Removing obstacles
Maintaining flexibility on one hand and respecting the FSC Principles & Criteria on the other hand is an ever ongoing challenge.
Two motions where accepted by the members to adjust the SLIMF rules. Motion number 32 changes the criteria for SLMF eligibility, making it possible to exclude protected areas when calculating the size of forest units applying to be classified as SLIMF.
Also an adjustment of the SLIMF criteria to ensure their appropriateness in all regions of the world was approved. The second motion, no 29, seeks to reduce the cost of SLIMF certification by eliminating the requirement of having public summaries in one of the two official FSC languages (Spanish and English) and instead have the public summary in the official language of the country where the forest is located.
Participation of Indigenous People
The membership also decided to emphasize the need for FSC to ensure the active participation of indigenous people in the Principle and Criteria review process.
The motion number 8 asks for a thorough analysis with the aim of ensuring the protection of indigenous people’s rights and the effective inclusion of indigenous forest management operations.