FSC certification in Malaysia has received a boost following the approval of a standards development group to develop the FSC National Forest Management Standards for Malaysia.
FSC director-general Andre de Freitas announced the approval in his welcome speech at the FSC General Assembly gala dinner at Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia on June 28.
“This is a vital and exciting step in the development of forest certification in Malaysia,” said Mr de Freitas.
The standards development group consists of representatives from communities in the states of Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, as well as industry and environmental groups, and will provide an internationally recognised and locally driven process to reach consensus on key issues facing the forests in the regions.
Sabah currently has about 400,000ha of FSC-certified forest.
