Forests for People

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for forest producers, while the industry, pushed by the market and

in order to cope with more demanding environmental require-

ments, has also set an International Code of Practice for Cork

according to the SYSTECODE quality assurance system, under the

Confederation of Cork Industries (CELIÈGE).

We should also note the Business and Biodiversity Initiative, a

European initiative of which Portugal is a member. In this context,

an innovative service of free technical advice has been put into

practice, entirely financed by the largest industrial company in

the cork sector. This service results from a partnership agreement

concluded between the National Forest Authority, the Institute for

Nature Conservation and Biodiversity, WWF, Quercus Association

(a national environmental NGO) and a cork industry company,

Corticeira Amorim.

Under this service, forest owners can invite experts from WWF

and a research institution to visit their cork oak forests, analyse their

status and produce technical reports that identify the best practices

of the forests and associated biodiversity management requirements.

These reports are the basis for supporting the process of certification

of sustainable forest management, if forest owners wish to do so.

The area of certified cork oak forest has been increasing since this

service was introduced.

Sustainability of cork oak forest is one of the main objectives

of national forest policy in Portugal. Cork’s social, economic and

environmental importance, from national to local levels, makes it

imperative to protect and to manage it, in order to preserve it for

future generations in good condition while producing income for

rural regions.

Sawn pastures, rich in legumes, are promoted in order to enrich soil and increase

carbon sequestration

Acorns are the basis of the diet for black pigs, which are common in

southern Iberia

Cross-section of a trunk of cork oak, showing its characteristic

thick bark

Image: João Pinho