From 7 – 19 December, governments, NGOs, and companies are gathering to see the adoption of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, which builds on the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and sets clear goals, targets and indicators to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 and restore ecosystems by 2050.
Our 4 offices have been participating in a number of panel discussions, to showcase how FSC is well-placed to effectively restore, enhance and protect biodiversity in certified forests by offering Forest Certification as well as Biodiversity Claims (through the Ecosystem Services procedure) which both help the world address global biodiversity goals.
“FSC solutions are significant assets for governments to embed forest stewardship in international policy frameworks; they also support efforts to reach national and international targets such as restoration and biodiversity commitments.” – Kim Carstensen
FSC hosts ‘Advancing Forest Stewardship as a Biodiversity Conservation Solution’ event
On 11 December, FSC led an event at the Canada Pavilion on Advancing Forest Stewardship as a Biodiversity Conservation Solution featuring speakers from Chinese and Canadian government officials, as well as representatives of FSC, IKEA, WWF International, and Indigenous Peoples, to demonstrate the value of forests in measuring progress toward biodiversity goals and targets.
“FSC Canada’s Forest Management Standard addresses the challenges faced by our forests’ wildlife inhabitants, with specific attention paid to Woodland Caribou. We want to showcase to the world FSC Canada’s unique approach to preserving caribou habitat alongside Indigenous-led Forest solutions in Canada” – Francois Dufresne, FSC Canada
Announcing a new initiative to enable the fast-tracking of Biodiversity Impact Assessment in FSC-certified forests.
During FSC’s event, Kim Carstensen, Mikhail Tarasov, Ikea and Fran Price, WWF International, jointing announced FSC’s new initiatives to fast-track biodiversity impact assessments in FSC-certified forests.
FSC certification already has biodiversity impacts through the protection of rare and threatened species and their habitats and through the protection of representative areas of native ecosystems required by our standards. However, data about this impact is not systematically available.
The initiative consists of a two-year collaboration driven by FSC International, supported by leading organizations as launching partners. To date, confirmed partners are IKEA, Tetra Pak, Procter & Gamble, Kingfisher, SCA, Essity and WWF International (TBC). The initiative will also seek collaboration with certification bodies, knowledge and technology partners.
The initiative will have two phases:
- Phase 1 will be carried out in 2023 and will aim to assess what kind of biodiversity metrics could be extracted from the FSC system, connecting to FSC’s forward-looking efforts on biodiversity claims and outcome-oriented standards.
- Phase 2 will take place in 2024 and will aim at developing an approach that will support the assessment and communication of credible claims by FSC stakeholders, including certificate holders.
This initiative will support the diversification of forest solutions, strengthening FSC’s role as the most credible validation of forest stewardship and making FSC an attractive solution to different types of forest management, including community lands and conservation and protected areas.
A public announcement on FSC’s website will be released over the next few weeks and more information will become available.
Want to learn more about FSC’s solutions to meeting biodiversity targets?
Take a look at our ‘Bringing forests to the forefront of biodiversity action’ document as well as our biodiversity fact sheet to learn more.