Group Certification: an Important Instrument in the Climate Change Mitigation Toolbox

8/2/2019 Group Certification: an Important Instrument in the Climate Change Mitigation Toolbox

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Group Certifcation:an Important Instrumentin the Climate ChangeMitigation Toolbox

Expanding Group Certifcation Globally

is a multi-partner project o the Programmeor the Endorsement o Forest Certifcation

(PEFC)


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The Expanding Group Certifcation Globallyproject seeks to

encourage and acilitate uptake o Group Certifcation among small

orest owners and managers throughout the world. In particular,

it seeks to promote certifcation in those areas where it is less

widespread, but where sustainable management o orests has

taken on increasing urgency in light o eorts to combat climate

change and alleviate poverty.

The multi-partner project brings together the Programme or

the Endorsement o Forest Certifcation and several partners.

Many are members o the Three Rights Holders Group

(G3 Alliance), a platorm or collaboration among amily orest

owners, community orestry and tribal and indigenous peoples

o the tropical orest that promotes locally controlled orestry

and sustainable orest management.

Conederation o European

Forest Owners (CEPF)

Global Alliance o Community

Forestry (GACF)

International Alliance o

Indigenous and Tribal Peoples

o the Tropical Forest (IAITPTF)

International Family Forestry

Alliance (IFFA)

Programme or the Endorsement

o Forest Certifcation

(PEFC)


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Forestry, People and Climate Change

Forest certifcation oers a powerul

tool in eorts to combat climate change.

Deorestation and orest degradation

account or nearly 20% o greenhouse

gas emissions, more than the entire

global transport sector and second only

to the energy sector. Yet orest products

are by their very nature derived rom

renewable sources, have generally

lower embodied carbon than competing

products and orm a critical component

o a low carbon, green economy.

To expand the utilisation o wood in

support o a low carbon economy,

while saeguarding orest ecosystems,

orest certifcation systems promote

best practice in orest management

and reduce orest degradation. Forest

certifcation also increases market

access, confdence and the value o

orest products, thereby positivelyaltering a business case which could

otherwise result in deorestation.

It is these dynamics which also underpin

REDD+ (Reducing Emissions rom

Deorestation and Forest Degradation)

initiatives which seek to raise the

intrinsic value o orests by putting a

fnancial value on the carbon stored

in them. Where REDD+ recognises

the importance o sustainable orest

management and concerted engagement

with local and indigenous peoples and

other orest-dependent communities,

orest certifcation systems oer

pragmatic standards, guidelines, and

verifcation to ensure the intended

results are delivered in the orest.

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CAFT-PAFCC

ameroon


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GROUP CERTIFICATION:

A GOOD COMPLEMENT TO REDD+

By oering assurances that orests are

sustainably managed, orest certifcation

seeks to halt their unsustainable use

and degradation. It also enhances their

quality and the livelihoods o those who

depend upon orests by connecting them

to preerential markets or orest products

and services ranging rom carbon to

timber, and ensuring beneft sharing and

economic opportunities at a local level.

Group Certifcation is a mechanism

through which groups o small orest

landholders can pool their resources

and work together to achieve third-party

verifed sustainable orest managementcertifcation. With 25% o orest area

managed locally by amilies, communities,

and indigenous peoples, it is essential

that tools, like Group Certifcation, are

made accessible to these important

stewards o the worlds orests. Group

Certifcation makes certifcation aordable

or small landholders when individual

certifcation may be too expensive.

Internationally, nearly one million

small orest owners have achieved

PEFC certifcation through the Group

Certifcation mechanism. This number

is testament that Group Certifcation

is possible or small landholders,

and that it is a powerul and cost-

eective mechanism or promoting

orest conservation and sustainable

management. Experience also shows

that Group Certifcation can stimulate

and signifcantly contribute to improving

rural livelihoods. The knock-on eects

in terms o incentives to conserve and

sustainably manage orests makes Group

Certifcation an eective complement

to REDD+.

These benefts make Group Certifcation

an important instrument in the climate

change mitigation toolbox.

MTK,

2010


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The Expanding Group Certifcation

Globallyproject seeks to encourage and

acilitate the uptake o Group Certifcation

among small orest owners and managers

throughout the world. In particular, it seeks

to promote certifcation in those areas

where it is less widespread, but where

sustainable management o orests has

taken on increasing urgency in light oeorts to combat climate change

and alleviate poverty.

The project successully completed its frst

phase and will move to implementation in

2012 provided that unding is secured.

Organizations interested in contributing to

our joint eorts are urged to contact PEFC

or urther inormation.

UNDERSTANDING WHAT WORKS:

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

Taking stock o existing practices and

identiying key elements or urther uptake

o Group Certifcation was at the centre o

the frst phase o the project, which is now

completed.

For this purpose, existing Group

Certifcation models in seven European

countries - Denmark, Finland, France,

Germany, Norway, Spain and Sweden

- were careully analysed and assessed.

All o these countries have an important

orestry sector, a strong orestry tradition

and extensive experience with certifcation.

Expanding Group Certifcation

Globally:The Project

Lessons Learnt rom Existing Practices

Experiences and lessons learnt on the ground

were gathered rom orest owners and owners

associations in these countries, and include:

Secure,long-termtenurerightsarea

undamental basis or sustainability and must

be defned by a robust legal ramework.

Smalllandholderorganizationsmaytake

dierent orms, but the organizations are

key to unctional group certifcation.

Certicationcandriveforwardsustainable

practices; it can also document existing

sustainability.

Successfulforestcerticationsystemsacknowledge nationally-relevant standards

and respect local institutions and

organizations.

Strongpartnershipsbetweensmall

landholders and industry or the State

can provide essential support.

MTK,

2009


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Key Elements or Enabling Group Certifcation

Based on these fndings, the project partners identifed the ollowing

key elements to consider in promoting the uptake and expansion

o certifcation.

PreconditionsDefned land tenure rights

Presence o robust legal ramework

Existence o rights holders

organizations

Local ownership

Standards setting capacity

1.

Facilitating Conditions

Low barriers to access

Tradition o orest management

2.

Incentives

Market access

Premium price or products and

services

Acceptance by public and private

procurement policies

3.

Enabling FactorsIndustry support

Capacity building

Standards setting capacity

Organizational structure & tradition

Chain o Custody certifcation

4.

Supporting Elements

Public inrastructure

State orest cooperation

Investment

5.


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EXPANDING IN OTHER REGIONS:

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

The project is now ready or implemen-

tation and sharing the knowledge and

experience learnt rom Group Certifcation

in Europe with groups o small orest

owners and owners associations in

other parts o the world.

Partner organizations are currently

engaged in identiying local partners in

dierent parts o the world where small

landholders display a clear motivation to

build organizational capacity, implement

sustainable orest practices, or achieve

orest certifcation.

A series o pilot projects are being

designed to address the individual

needs o local small landholders in

a particular region and to create the

conditions necessary or them to

eventually pursue Group Certifcation.

The project will establish bilateral

and/or international exchanges and

relationships to support sharing o

knowledge, transer o technology

and know-how, and capacity building

or achieving certifcation.

Yl-Savo,

2010


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Project Sites

Project sites will be selected based on

a number o parameters, including the

signifcance o small landholders within

the countries land tenure ramework,

active local partner organizations

interested in advancing their capacities,

and conducive national and international

policy conditions including REDD+

or involvement in Growing Forest

Partnership (GFP) or the FAO National

Forest Programme Facility (NFPF).

The ollowing have been

identifed or their potential

to host pilot projects:

Balkans

Brazil

China

Cameroon

Malaysia

Mexico

Nepal

Activities

Working together with local partner

organizations, each pilot project

will include:

Field Dialogue: to bring together a

range o international and local project

partners. The dialogue will acilitate

a local analysis o issues acing small

landholders in the region, oster

experience exchange between orest

landholder organizations, and look to

develop a longer term cooperationand development plan.

Twinning Support: to acilitate longer

term cooperation and mentorship

between organizations, such as a

partnership between a Forest Owner

Association in Finland and Forest

Owner Association in Mexico.

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Yl-Savo,

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Climate Impacts

Such outcomes will complement REDD+

and climate change mitigation through:

Increasingthecapacityand

organization o small landholders to

ensure sustainability in the 25% o

the worlds orest resources which

they manage;

Growingthesupplyofsustainable

orest products to contribute to

the shit to a green economy;

Improvingtheorganizationofsmall

landholders to acilitate engagement

and cooperation in REDD+

implementation and the delivery

o beneft sharing mechanisms;

Establishinginternationalcooperation

to support small landholders to

receive more direct benefts rom

their resource once they have the

land rights, with lasting contributions

towards vibrant rural economies,

poverty reduction and sustainable

development.

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The overarching objective o this project

is to enable small landholders to better

organize and manage their orest

resources sustainably, while receiving

more direct, tangible economic beneft

rom their resources and management

eorts.

Building on the success o small orestowners in Europe in implementing

sustainable management, accessing

orest certifcation and receiving direct

benefts, the collaborating partners seek

to share knowledge, experience and build

capacity o small landholders in other

parts o the world.

TFD,

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Partner organizations have beencollaborating in the development o this

project since 2010. With a shared vision,

clear priorities, and commitment we are

looking to obtain the necessary unding

to support the project implementation

phase commencing in 2012.

Join the Project

I your organization shares our vision orsupporting small landholders in building

organizational capacity, implementing

sustainable orest practices or achieving

orest certifcation we urge you to

contribute unding to this project.

Clearly, the urgency o climate change

requires new approaches and strong

partnerships, and this project stands todeliver results where it is needed most.

Join us [email protected]

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TFD,

2010


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Conederation o European Forest

Owners (CEPF)

The Conederation o European

Forest Owners (CEPF) is the umbrella

association o national orest owner

organizations in the European Union.

CEPF works as the representative o

amily orestry in Europe, by promotingthe values o private property ownership.

www.cep-eu.org

Global Alliance o Community

Forestry (GACF)

The Global Alliance o Community

Forestry (GACF) is a network o

community-based organizations thatseeks to create common ground to meet

the necessities, interests and experiences

o stakeholders representing orest

communities rom dierent parts o the

world to secure their rights to orests

at the international and regional levels.

www.gaconline.com

International Alliance o Indigenous

and Tribal Peoples o the Tropical

Forest (IAITPTF)

The International Alliance o Indigenous

and Tribal Peoples o the Tropical Forests

(IAITPTF) is a worldwide network o

organizations representing indigenous

and tribal peoples living in tropical orest

regions o Arica, the Asia-Pacifc andthe Americas.

www.international-alliance.org

The Project Partners

International Family Forestry

Alliance (IFFA)

The International Family Forestry Alliance

(IFFA) represents 25 million orest

owners worldwide. It seeks to promote

the development o amily orestry and

advocate supportive policies.

IFFA provides recommendations tointernational orest policy processes and

a orum or exchange o experience, ideas

and inormation.

www.amilyorestry.net

Programme or the Endorsement

o Forest Certifcation (PEFC)

PEFC is an international non-proft,non-governmental organization dedicated

to promoting Sustainable Forest

Management through independent

third-party certifcation.

PEFC is committed to conserving

orests and enhancing the communities

and amilies that own, work, and live in

and around orests.

www.pec.org

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PEFC Council

World Trade Center

10, route de lAroport

CH-1215 Geneva

Switzerland

t +41 22 799 45 40

f +41 22 799 45 50

e [email protected]

www.pefc.org

Front cover photo: A. J. Da Silva Nunes/DreamstimeBack cover photo: TFD, 2010

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Group Certification: an Important Instrument in the Climate Change Mitigation Toolbox