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Making FSC Work in the Tropics:

Making FSC Work in the Tropics:. An Overview of Key Challenges. ~ Presented December 5, 2005 at a GTZ sponsored side event to the FSC General Assembly in Manaus, Brazil ~ Constance L. McDermott Program Director, Postdoctoral Associate Yale Program on Forest Certification.

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Making FSC Work in the Tropics:

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  1. Making FSC Work in the Tropics: An Overview of Key Challenges ~ Presented December 5, 2005 at a GTZ sponsored side event to the FSC General Assembly in Manaus, Brazil ~ Constance L. McDermott Program Director, Postdoctoral Associate Yale Program on Forest Certification

  2. Distribution of FSC endorsed and total global forests by biome Source: : www.fsc.org Sept. 11, 2005; UNEP

  3. Major variation in certification dynamics between regions and countries Source:Cashore, B.; F. Gale; E. Meidinger; D. Newsom. In Press. Confronting Sustainability: Forest certification in developing and transitioning societies. Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

  4. FSC is growing in Tropics Source:http://www.fsc.org

  5. Key Challenges • Feasibility--Can it work? (Means) • Governance • Markets • Effectiveness--Why do it? (Ends) • Conservation • Equity

  6. Feasibility (Means)

  7. FeasibilityGovernance • Certification standards  “The StandardsGap”* • State law and enforcement • Land tenure • Environmental regulations • * J. Ebeling. 2005. The Effectiveness of Market-based Conservation: Can forest certification compensate for poor environmental regulation in the tropics? Paper prepared for the Berlin Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change.

  8. FeasibilityGovernance • Developing countries often have stringent rules, lack enforcement. Source: Cashore, B.; McDermott, C. 2004. Global Environmental Forest Policies. Report available at: www.ifor.ca

  9. FeasibilityGovernance • Hypothesis: • Forest certification requires a basic level of state law enforcement. Therefore FSC should look for strategic partnerships with governments.

  10. FeasibilityMarkets • The Market Gap • Lack of eco-sensitive markets for tropical wood

  11. FeasibilityMarkets • Governing through tropical markets?: Fuelwood dominates • About 1/2 of global roundwood production is for fuelwood in developing countries • About 80% of industrial roundwood is produced in developed countries Source: UNEP. 2002. Global Environment Report - 3

  12. FeasibilityMarkets *India not included due to data inaccuracies. Source:Friends of the Earth/Imaflora/Imazon 1999, source ITTO, 1997

  13. FeasibilityMarkets • Hypothesis: • For FSC to be adopted across a significant % of tropical forest area, it is critical to develop domestic and import markets in top tropical wood consuming countries.

  14. Effectiveness (Ends)

  15. EffectivenessConservation • The Biodiversity Challenge • Forest certification does not address causes of deforestation (15.2 million ha. tropical forests lost per yr.) • Is sustainable management of tropical natural forests possible? • Certification bias towards plantations w/ low diversity, high levels of production

  16. EffectivenessConservation • Hypotheses: • More research is needed on requirements for environmentally sustainable tropical forest management. • The FSC should promote markets for tropical forest products that can bear lower levels of production and greater product diversity.

  17. EffectivenessEquity • The Industrial Plantation Bias • Large industrial firms, plantations dominate • Sell for export, where pressure to certify is greatest • Technical and institutional compatibility with certification • Economies of scale • Community/non-industrial/low tech operators lack markets, incentives and capacity • Consume/sell locally • Disconnect between local capacity/knowledge and technical nature of certification standards and procedures • Standards imposed from outside of communities, lack shared goals • BUT donor/NGO support

  18. EffectivenessEquity

  19. Effectiveness Equity • Hypothesis: • FSC may not be feasible for many community/non-industrial/low tech enterprises. At the least, it requires modifications such as: • Reduced requirements • Step-wise certification • Sustained external funding • Industry partnerships • Complete system make-over? • Creation of new niche markets/ special labels?

  20. Other barriers • Poverty • Subsistence economies • Conflicts over indigenous/local resource rights • Lack of civil society rights to organize • Armed conflict

  21. Summary • The Standards/Governance Gap • The Market Gap • The Biodiversity Challenge • The Industrial/Plantation Bias

  22. FSC is growing in Tropics Source:http://www.fsc.org

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