The timber and forestry industry in tropical forest rich countries faces specific challenges when it comes to certification, especially concerning forest governance, market demand, economic viability and technical capacity. Consequently, despite best efforts, certification uptake has been slow, with only 2% of tropical forest currently covered. Overcoming the challenges requires a long-term, multifaceted approach, but the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) is confident it can be done.
An important part of the solution is taking a bottom-up approach. National forest certification systems developed through stakeholder consensus and tailored to local conditions, best practice, legislation and expectations are more adaptable and cost-efficient. When assessed for compliance with PEFC’s Sustainability Benchmark, they also give assurance of meeting local and global expectations.
PEFC is focusing its efforts to increase certification in Central Africa, South-east Asia and the Amazon Basin which, of course, have the lion’s share of tropical forest.
A major breakthrough came in 2010 in Malaysia when the first natural tropical forests became PEFC certified. Since then the area under certification in the country has grown to nearly 5 million ha. During 2012, PEFC certification was also achieved in two natural forest areas in the State of Rondônia, Brazil and further expansion is forecast.
Most recently, 2.4 million ha of natural forest in French Guiana were certified and, with Indonesia’s development of a PEFC-aligned national certification system in full swing, natural tropical forest certification is gaining still greater momentum.
Interest in national certification schemes is also spreading in Central Africa, home to the second biggest area of continuous rainforest. Gabon was first to achieve PEFC endorsement, and the PAFC Gabon scheme has completed its first revision process. Cameroon’s scheme is also due for completion and the Republic of Congo’s Ministry of Forest Economy and Sustainable Development pledged to start working with stakeholders to follow suit.
With 15 other countries working with PEFC to develop their own systems, there is significant growth to come. To capitalise on this and give certification still greater momentum, on November 15 at its Forest Certification Week in Kuala Lumpur, PEFC will launch "Developing a national forest certification system – your toolkit", a guide to establishing a national forest certification system, and the backdrop for an expanded PEFC support service for partner organisations.
PEFC is also invested in other projects innovating new approaches and building local solutions, from pilot test certification, to market demand stimulation through our Asia Promotions Initiative. So there are hopeful signs that certified tropical timber availability is set to increase significantly.
