The PEFC Council – Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes – is the largest forest certification organization in the world. With its 35 independent national schemes, it accounts for more than two-thirds of all certified forests globally, ensuring that they are managed sustainably and deliver environmental, social and economic benefits now and in the future.
Sustainable forest management – and its certification – directly or indirectly addresses various societal challenges such as global warming, deforestation and illegal logging.
Yet despite the importance of sustainable forest management, especially its potential contribution to tackling climate change, the two-thirds of forest that PEFC has certified correspond to only about 200 million hectares – the size of Mexico. Globally, less than 10% of all forests are covered by a forest certification scheme.
PEFC Council recently relocated to Geneva to collaborate more closely with its stakeholders in international organizations, NGOs and others to optimize its positive contribution to society.
Mike Clark and Ben Gunneberg will provide an overview of forest certification and discuss its role in tackling societal challenges. They will outline how the demand for certified wood products, especially from consumers and business, can be increased, which in turn would create incentives for forest owners to manage forests sustainably and obtain certification.
