Forests for People

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Forest Stewardship Council certification:

forests for people, in practice

Alistair Monument, Forest Stewardship Council

hana Lama represents just one of some 22 commu-

nity forest user groups which together manage 14,145

hectares of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified

forests in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal. Here, a unique

alliance of representatives from industry, government, NGOs,

communities and forest certifiers was brought together by the

Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources.

Together they created the Private-Public Alliance on the

Certification and Sustainable Marketing of Non-timber Forest

Products. Promoting sustainable resource management, at the

same time as increasing incomes from non-timber forest prod-

ucts and expanding responsible buying practices are major

objectives of the alliance. FSC certification, under a group certi-

fication scheme, provides the vehicle to achieve these objectives.

“Forests are an integral part of local people’s livelihoods as they have

harvested fuelwood, fodder, medicinal plants, fruits and more since

time immemorial,” explains Dhana Lama, executive

committee member of the Bhitteri Pakha community

forest user group in Nepal. “Introduction of certification

made people aware of sustainable forest management.

Now they understand that forests and their biodiver-

sity are very important and they should use them in a

sustainable manner.”It’s a strategy that is paying off.

With the help of the Federation of Community Forestry

Users Nepal (FECOFUN), communities have been able

to improve their forest management, strengthen their

conservation efforts and reinforce their democratic

institutions. “All certified community forests are better

in terms of participation, benefit sharing, decision-

making and fund utilization,” says Apsara Chapagain,

chair of FECOFUN. The organization works as a

resource manager for the group certification scheme,

helping community forest user groups to implement

forest management guidelines and providing capacity-

building and monitoring activities on the ground.

For many people working in small-scale forestry, this

is the model of FSC certification that is most successful.

Established in 1993, FSC certification provides an inter-

nationally recognized assurance of responsible forest

management. The logo appears on billions of wood,

paper and other forests products around the world,

making it a globally recognized label for consumers

seeking forest products that benefit people, safeguard

the environment and support sustainable businesses.

How does FSC certification work?

FSC has a direct, permanent and positive impact on

the world’s forests and the people living in and around

them. It is recognized worldwide for applying the

highest social and environmental standards in forestry.

The FSC’s ten principles describe how forests should

be managed to meet the social, economic, ecological,

cultural and spiritual needs of current and future gener-

ations. These principles are subject to periodic review

and revision, under rules designed to ensure a balance

between social, economic and environmental interests

as well as a north-south equilibrium.

FSC doesn’t issue certificates itself. This is done by

independent certification bodies, which check that

forest owners and managers meet the FSC’s standards

for forest management. Separate chain of custody certif-

icates allow FSC-certified wood products to be credibly

General assembly of users of the certified community forest, Dolakha, Nepal

Image: ANSAB, Nepal