WWF Position Paper
- WWF Position on Forest Certification 58 KB pdf
According to FAO, Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) is defined as the stewardship and use of forests and forest lands in a way, and at a rate, that maintains their biodiversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, vitality and their potential to fulfill, now and in the future, relevant ecological, economic and social functions, at local, national, and global levels, and that does not cause damage to other ecosystems.
WWF believes that responsibly managed forests are necessary for the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystems services, both on individual sites and within the wider landscape. Forest management, including intensive commercial management, can be a critical and cost-effective conservation tool within larger-scale conservation strategies. Well-managed commercial or community forests can for example provide vital buffers for and links between protected areas.
Certification: The Benchmark for Sound Forest Management
The benchmark for sound forest management is independently-verified and credible forest certification. Certification standards provide a checklist of issues to be addressed in the pursuit of sustainable forest management. Certification also provides a means of verifying the achievement of sound forest management and credibly communicating this to employees, customers, investors, local communities, NGOs and regulators. Learn more about certification.