Expanding Forest Certification Globally

pro-forests Forest certification is a tried and tested voluntary mechanism that promotes sustainable forest management. About two-thirds of the total certified forest area globally is managed in compliance with PEFC International's Sustainability Benchmarks. However, with less than 10% of the world's forest certified, there is much to be done.

PEFC, with its unique bottom-up approach to certification, is designed with the specific needs of small and family forest owners in mind, though equally accessible to medium and large private and public forests.

In collaboration with a wide range of partners and by supporting efforts of local organizations with comprehensive knowledge of particular challenges and opportunities that forest certification faces in a specific country or region, we promote sustainable forest management and forest certification through a range of projects.

A few projects at a glance...

Access for all: ensuring smallholders are able to certify their forests

Small- and family forest owners are at the heart of our organization, and since our creation we have worked to ensure that certification is accessible to them. Through a series of projects, we are helping small- and family forest owners all around the would gain PEFC Sustainable Forest Management certification.

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Supporting the development of forest certification around the world

A key aspect of our project work continues to be working with national stakeholders as they embark on the process of developing their national forest certification systems. From Southeast Asia, to Africa and Southeast Europe, we carry out this vital support work throughout the world.

Our regional initiatives

Many of our projects go beyond country borders. By focusing on a much wider area, we are better able transfer knowledge, developments and successes throughout a region.

PEFC Certified

Forests area: 304 million ha
Forest owners: > 750,000
Companies (CoC): > 19,800

(as of September 2017)
Global Stats | Read more...

PEFC Newsletter

Delivering Impacts...

...in the Forest and Beyond!

PEFC Resources

	Enabling Sustainability in Forest Management
	Group Certification: an Important Instrument in the Climate Change Mitigation Toolbox
	PEFC Annual Review 2016

GreenFacts on Forests

1	Introduction: Measuring progress towards sustainable forest management
2	How much forest is there on the planet and at what rate is it disappearing?
3	How can forests affect climate change?
4	What is the biological diversity of the world’s forests?
5	How healthy are the world’s forests?
6	What products are extracted from forests?
7	What are the protective effects of forests?
8	What are the economic and social benefits of forests?
9	Are forests managed in a sustainable way?
10	Conclusions

Provided by GreenFacts