Forest Certification to Help Ensure the Sustainable Use of Southern Mediterranean Forests

Desertification is one of the major environmental problems faced by Maghreb. The sustainable use of forests in these countries would help to mitigate and adapt to this global change.

This is why MENFRI, the Mediterranean Network of Forestry Research and Innovation, gathered together forestry experts in Barcelona this summer to discuss opportunities and challenges brought by innovative solutions such as forest certification in the Mediterranean region.

“If in the northern Mediterranean PEFC certification is well developed, it’s not the case in the south,” explained Sarah Price, Head of Projects and Development at PEFC International, who travelled out to Spain to take part in the meeting. “The MENFRI project is therefore a great opportunity to discuss how forest certification could help Mediterranean forests and their products to be better valued.”

In Morocco, 80% of the lands are at high risk of desertification. To face this challenge, Morocco has made significant effort to address land degradation. However, forest management remains an important issue for the country. Indeed, in Morocco as well as in Tunisia, forests are of public ownership and inhabitants can use its resources for their own needs. Unfortunately, this legal framework led to abuses and to desertification due to a lack of awareness regarding the value of the forest and its products and the need to exploit it sustainably.

“PEFC certification improves the product’s selling capacity. But local products can also add a label of origin to reinforce the local consumption,” explained Antonio Brunori, Secretary General of PEFC Italia.

Being able to identify a certified product issued from a Mediterranean forest as environmentally friendly and socially fair is key in the development of a market for Mediterranean forest products. The development of such a market would favor growth in the Mediterranean by attracting investors, and therefore increasing the interest of local stakeholders in using their source of income in a sustainable way.

PEFC endorses national forest certification systems, therefore, national administrations have to develop national standards for a sustainable forest use. While Morocco is reviewing its legislation to support public-private partnerships for forest management, Tunisia still has to launch this legislation reform to allow actual pilot projects already in place to become the rule on the territory. “Certification will not be a solution to this urgent need for legislative reform,” warned Abdhelamid Khaldi, from the National Research Institute of Rural Engineering, Water and Forests in Tunisia.
http://pefc.org/news-a-media/general-sfm-news/1925-forest-certification-to-help-ensure-the-sustainable-use-of-southern-mediterranean-forests

Related Posts

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Basics – Fact Sheet

The FPA Emerging Leadership Council’s (ELC) Advocacy Committee developed a fact sheet on extended producer responsibility (EPR) to help educate the industry, stakeholders, and the consumers of goods packaged in flexible packaging. The fact sheet touches on the following aspects related to EPR: the basic elements of EPR; an overview of the Maine and Oregon EPR legislation; how producers and consumers may be affected by EPR legislation; the FPA’s policy surrounding EPR; and important terms to know. To see the fact sheet, go to: https://www.flexpack.org/publication/RG93bmxvYWQ6NzY3

Evolution of the SFI Standards: SFI Launches Standard Revision

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) launched the process to revise and update the SFI standard requirements at the SFI Annual Conference today. A conference workshop marked the official start of the revision process with over 200 members of the SFI community taking part. “The SFI Standards are developed through an open and inclusive process involving the many different people and groups who know and care about our forests including forest sector representatives, conservation groups, academics, researchers, brand owners, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and governments,” said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc. The process includes 10 public standards development workshops across the U.S. and Canada including a dedicated workshop for Indigenous Peoples and a facilitated webinar workshop to accommodate those stakeholders that cannot make any of the regional workshops.

Canada-U.S. Forest Health and Innovation Summit Rooted in Collaboration

Forest health and innovation challenges and opportunities don’t observe borders and that is the spirit in which delegates will be participating in the 4th Canada-U.S. Forest Health Summit, February 21-23 in Ottawa. “Trade irritants or disputes may generate headlines but beneath that is a successful history of collaboration between Canada and the United States,” says Derek Nighbor, CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada, who is participating in the summit. “On both sides of the border, we face complex challenges from addressing climate change to protecting communities from wildfires; to preventing pest outbreaks, supporting species at risk, and protecting watershed health. This week’s Summit provides a great opportunity for cross-border information sharing.” Click Read More below for additional information.
Back To Top
×Close search
Search