PEFC International is pleased to invite all stakeholders to comment on the enquiry drafts of its Tropical Natural Forest Management Standard by 10 August 2010. The consultation is part of PEFC’s ongoing Standards Revision process, with the enquiry drafts of the Boreal and Temperate Forest Management Standard and the Standards for Group Certification and Standards Setting already available for public consultation (deadline: 30 June 2010). “The sustainable management of the world’s forest concerns all of us. Forests have a vast potential to contribute to tackling climate change, they are the most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystem, and they directly or indirectly support the livelihoods of millions of people.” said Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General of PEFC International, at the start of the consultation of the previously released enquiry drafts. “With PEFC’s Sustainability Benchmarks defining the management of more than 220 million hectares of forests globally, it is our collective responsibility as forest stakeholders to integrate best practice, new scientific knowledge, societal expectations, as well as practical experiences on the ground, into standards that are globally relevant and locally applicable.” Mr. Gunneberg encouraged all stakeholders to share their knowledge and expertise in this public consultation to ensure that the standard is well aligned with global and local expectations and provides an optimal framework for tropical forest management practices delivering on all three pillars of sustainability – environmental, social and economic. “With the vast majority of the world’s certified forests located in the Global North, there is a real need to revisit forest certification requirements in detail and ensure their applicability in countries with less favourable structures, especially in the tropics, in Asia, South America and Africa – regions in which arguably the most vulnerable forests are located, and in which the potential of forest management to lift people out of poverty is greatest.” Read More
