“Invest in us for Sustainable Forests” say Community Forest Members, Indigenous Peoples and Smallholders from Asia

Local people from forest communities in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam and came together in Bangkok recently to discuss forest issues that are priorities for them and to prepare for the upcoming XIV World Forestry Congress. The Congress, which is the largest and most significant gathering of the world’s forestry sector, takes place in Durban, South Africa this September.

“As one of the few observers here, and being responsible for supporting smallholder certification, it was great to hear about the issues and priorities for Asian communities,” reported Richard Laity, PEFC South East Asia, Projects and Development Officer. “We want to ensure that certification is inclusive by working closely with these forest communities, while we develop national forest certification systems.”

“As PEFC history demonstrates, it has proven to work for smallholders, and as we expand into countries in Asia we want to make sure it continues to be a robust but cost-effective, appropriate and practical tool,” Mr. Laity concluded.

At the meeting, participants identified four priority areas, from local perspectives, that forest decision-makers must invest in for forests to be managed sustainably:
Participatory processes for policy and enabling regulatory framework development
Formalizing tenure rights and the establishment of community forests
Funds and resources for community forest implementation, and livelihoods/enterprise development
Capacity development for leadership empowerment, information access, network advocacy

Under the four areas, solutions and best practices were identified, along with specific actions and investments needed to scale these up – to be shared and influence forest decision-makers on the global level at the World Forestry Congress.
http://pefc.org/news-a-media/general-sfm-news/1918-invest-in-us-for-sustainable-forests-say-community-forest-members-indigenous-peoples-and-smallholders-from-asia

Related Posts

Specialty outdoor retailer in new sustainability milestone

REI continues its efforts to lead on sustainable operations. The retailer’s newest distribution center, in Goodyear, Arizona, has achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Platinum certification — the highest level in the U.S. Green Building Council’s green building rating system — making it the first DC in the U.S. to achieve both LEED Platinum certification and Net Zero Energy. The 400,000-sq.-ft. building is the second largest Platinum-certified distribution facility in the United States. "REI worked hard to deliver a new standard for the industry that was in line with our values and commitment to sustainable operations,” said Rick Bingle, REI's VP of supply chain. “To create an impact that extends far beyond the co-op, we chose to open the design of the facility and our doors to the industry, not only to make it easier for other companies to build this technology into their operations, but to actively encourage them to do so." REI achieved LEED Platinum certification by implementing sustainable strategies and solutions throughout the building. click Read More below for additional detail

Two Sides launches European fact sheets to combat environmental misconceptions of print and paper

Print and paper is a highly sustainable form of communication in today’s digital society. Despite this, there are still misconceptions that it is wasteful, detrimental to the environment and responsible for deforestation. More worrying is the misunderstanding that digital communication is more environmentally friendly, which is not always the case. To address these misconceptions, and to better inform and educate consumers, businesses and the public at large, Two Sides, a global initiative to promote the sustainability and attractiveness of print and paper, has published a series of 11 fact sheets to address a wide array of environmental and social issues. The comprehensive fact sheets cover the most common areas of misunderstanding, ranging from the real environmental impact of electronic communication, to the sustainability of paper-based printed products, as well as tackling the important role that print and paper plays in literacy and learning.

PEFC Stakeholder Dialogue exploring SMART solutions in forest certification: Chain of Custody in the spotlight

Log tracking, dynamic data transfer, blockchain… what are the ‘must have’ technologies that can help us to strengthen trust and traceability throughout supply chains? What technologies are showing promise for transferring complex information in a useable and credible form? How can technology help certification to deliver more value to companies and customers? Where are technologies showing promise to supporting auditors to verify compliance? Technology compliments nearly all aspects of Chain of Custody management. New and emerging hardware, software, services and tools are enhancing the robustness of certification and accelerating the flow of information through supply chains. In this session, we will feature some of the latest and greatest technological developments from certified forestry supply chains. Together, we hope to inspire and re-imagine how the information flow and product assurances of certified products can continue to evolve in the future. Click Read More below for additional detail.
Back To Top
×Close search
Search