Both the prime minister and the Prince of Wales sent letters of congratulation to the WWF 95+ Group.
‘As I said in my speech to the WWF in March, it is clear that partnerships between NGOs and business can deliver real environmental benefits,’ wrote Tony Blair. ‘The WWF 95+ Group is a successful example of NGOs and business working together to promote truly innovative and exciting ideas on preventing degradation and loss of the world’s forests and good forest management around the world.’
‘The government has already committed its central departments and executive agencies actively to seek to purchase timber from legal and sustainable sources, such as those certified as meeting criteria set by the FSC… We have also just announced a new cross government group on using government procurement to deliver sustainable development,’ he said.
The Prince of Wales remarked on the fact that a conference such as this would have been inconceivable 10 years ago. It was, he wrote, ‘a testimony to the hard work of a great many far-sighted and dedicated individuals. But it is also a reflection of the urgency of the global challenge we face’.
His message also carried this warning: ‘Forest certification has proved to be a powerful tool in encouraging good forest management and sustainable practices, but – as schemes continue to proliferate – we should beware of allowing certification to become an end in itself. Certification will only have lasting value when it is credible and it will only be credible when its standards are developed by open processes and pitched at a level which is realistic but high enough to attract and keep the support of the widest possible range of stakeholders.’
