The endorsement of the Indonesian Forest Certification Co-operation (IFCC)
by the world's leading forest certification system, PEFC is expected to benefit
Indonesian forests, home to some of the most biologically diverse forests in
the world.
Indonesian forests can now benefit from credible, globally recognised
sustainable forest management certification following the endorsement.
PEFC International Secretary General Ben Gunneberg observes that the endorsement
signifies a turning point for Indonesia, which has been battling high
deforestation rates. He explains that forest certification represents an
important mechanism to verify and promote sustainable forest management, thus
safeguarding the environmental, social and economic benefits provided by forests.
According to Mr Gunneberg, given the significance of Indonesia’s forest
resources, the PEFC endorsement is especially important in a country like Indonesia,
both in terms of protecting its invaluable biodiversity and its contribution to
the livelihoods of the millions of people that depend on forest resources.
PEFC’s endorsement of IFCC has come after the most rigorous assessment process
existing globally for national forest certification systems seeking
international recognition. PEFC requires all standards to be developed through
comprehensive, multi-stakeholder and consensus-based processes at national
level with all standard requirements meeting or exceeding the environmental,
social and economic requirements of PEFC's Sustainability Benchmarks.
All standards are subjected to an independent third-party evaluation, global
public consultation, review by the Panel of Experts, and consideration by the PEFC
Board of Directors before PEFC members approve the endorsement of a
particular national system. The entire assessment documentation is
publicly available to ensure full transparency of the process.
Australian Forestry Standard is a not-for-profit public company, which
owns and manages the Australian Forest Certification Scheme.
