Much like forests, ideas sometimes take a long time to grow. Over time, they become more complex and diverse and eventually reach maturity. The sustainable management of the world’s forests is one of these ideas.
The Idea of ‘Sustainability’
The idea of sustainable forest management is based on the concept of ‘sustainable development’ and rests on three integrated and equally important pillars: environmental soundness, social justice, and economic viability.
We know now that missing out or not paying sufficient attention to any one of these crucial elements will seriously undermine the chances of success of achieving sustainability in forest management just as in development.
The concept of ‘sustainable development’ and the interrelationship of its three pillars was originally popularized in the 1987 Brundtland report, yet it was at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 where the idea finally took hold.
Spreading the Word
The message coming out of the Rio Earth Summit — that nothing less than a transformation of our attitudes and behaviour would bring about the necessary changes — was heard by millions around the world.
The message reflected the complexity of the problems facing us, and governments recognized the need to redirect international and national plans and policies to ensure that all economic decisions fully took into account environmental and social impacts.
The Summit’s Outcomes
The Summit resulted in a total of five documents that have fundamentally influenced the way our global society views sustainable development.
The overarching document, the Rio Declaration, defines the rights of people to development, and their responsibilities to safeguard the common environment.
The Agenda 21 has become a blueprint for action by all types of organizations and initiatives globally, nationally, and locally. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have become legally binding documents.
The Birth of Forest Certification
The fifth document, the Forest Principles, is the least known one, yet with its preamble stating that «Forests are essential to economic development and the maintenance of all forms of life», its relevance to the overall concept of sustainable development appears self-evident. Governments, however, could not agree on a globally enforceable framework for sustainable forestry.
The challenges facing the world’s forests, and the inability of governments to act, resulted in the birth of the idea of forest certification. This voluntary mechanism provided forest owners with a framework to implement the spirit of the Forest Principles, with guidance of how to manage forests sustainably, and with the opportunity to demonstrate and validate their responsibly practices through independent certification.
Over time, forest certification has become one of the most important tools for global society to promote sustainable forest management. Yet the movement has stalled: Only nine percent of the world’s forests are certified, and the United Nations have warned that the once-rapid growth of forest-certification efforts has stagnated during the past years.
Rio Forest Certification Declaration
The Rio Forest Certification Declaration, launched in 2010 in Rio, is based on the idea that a common set of principles is needed, a set of principles that provides guidance to all of us about what is needed to better promote forest certification and its continuous growth to advance sustainable forest management.
It recognizes in its preamble that "The challenge of safeguarding the environmental, social and economic benefits that the world’s forests provide is critical for life on Earth. It requires a world in which people manage forests sustainably, a world that recognizes the integral and interdependent nature of our planet, a world that acknowledges and values the significance of rural communities, indigenous peoples, and families that depend on forests for their livelihoods" and states ten principles as a common framework to maximize the benefits that forest certification can offer to society.
The Rio Forest Certification Declaration picks up on ideas that have previously emerged in other documents, including the 1992 Rio Declaration, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Agenda 21, the UN Charter, and the Forest Principles, to establish a framework that all stakeholders should be able to support.
Join the Movement
It is supported by amongst others the PEFC, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, the world’s largest forest certification organization and the certification system of choice for small- and family forest owners.
I invite all of you - as individuals or as representative of civil society, business, or governments, to support the Rio Forest Certification Declaration with your signature. The Rio Forest Certification Declaration will be presented with all signatures at the 2012 Rio Earth Summit.
Bill Street, PEFC Chairman
