During over two decades of representing FSC in the country, FSC Russia achieved immense success in increasing FSC certification, promoting responsible forest management and creating a platform for dialogue among actors with interests in Russia’s immense forests.
The FSC Russia Board has informed FSC International that the decision to end the contractual relationship is a precautionary measure which will be revisited depending on how the operational environment evolves in Russia.
FSC International knows that the work to promote responsible forest management in Russia will continue thanks to our close partners and forest allies, who made FSC a success in Russia, ensuring responsible management and protection of vast areas of valuable forest. And we trust that certificate holders will continue to uphold their FSC Forest Management certification. The channels of communication remain open for stakeholders in Russia who are welcome to reach out to FSC International for any questions.
FSC International and the wider FSC community equally looks forward to the continued engagement of its Russian international members through the membership portal and the various other activities organized for the FSC international members.
“Over the past 20 years, FSC has helped preserve 61 million hectares of well-managed forests, including 3.5 million hectares of high conservation value forests in Russia which comprise intact forest landscapes. These last large areas of primeval ecosystems on Eurasia are extremely important to climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation”, said FSC Director General, Kim Carstensen. “We remain committed to our mission of keeping these forests alive and resilient for the future, and we hope to continue our work in partnership with FSC Russia as soon as it becomes possible again.”
https://fsc.org/en/newsfeed/fsc-russia-and-fsc-international-end-their-partnership