Life as commerce: the impact of market-based conservation on indigenous peoples, local communities and women

Oct 2008

Global deforestation has accelerated to unprecedented rates since the inception of ‘forest’ certification – as has the destruction of agricultural land and natural areas, as new tree plantations have been established.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to defuse growing criticism of the impacts of the booming agrofuels (biofuels) industry, consumer countries are proposing adherence to similar set of ‘sustainability criteria’ that will supposedly restrict imports of agrofuels to those products that have been certified as meeting certain socioeconomic and environmental standards. On the surface, this may appear to be an appropriate mechanism to provide assurances and guarantees to allay consumer fears and to satisfy government regulators: its proponents maintain that the existing certification of forest and tree plantation management has been a great success, and that the use of similar agrofuel certification will guarantee peace of mind for all concerned.
According to the authors, the certification of forests and tree plantations by organisations such as the FSC (103 million ha) and the PEFC Council (202 million ha) – leaves much to be desired, even when it comes to certifying forests. As this and other case studies show, such criteria are often insufficient to meet the intended objectives; and can sometimes be easily manipulated or sidelined.

By: Global Forest Coalition

 
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