India launches process to develop forest certification system

Source:
PEFC/IHB
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The process to develop India’s forest certification system was launched at the “International Conference on Forest Certification – Positioning India”, co-hosted by NCCF and PEFC International. The conference brought together government, business and civil society stakeholders to discuss the status of forests in India and to learn from international experts about the benefits of functioning certification systems of sustainable forestry in other countries.

“With forestry in India being at a critical crossroad, the decision to develop our own national forest certification system will be an important driver to promote the sustainable management of our forest resources,” said KK Singh, Chairman of the Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests (NCCF).

“While India is among the world’s most forested countries, we also have a growing demand for wood products, and unsustainable use of forests, for example for wood fuel, is a significant challenge,” continued Mr. Singh. “Forest certification will help us not only in mainstreaming sustainability in forest management, but also in raising awareness with companies and consumers about the importance of sourcing and buying responsibly sourced wood products.” “It is promising and inspiring to learn about the strong support in India for the development of a national forest certification system in alignment with PEFC’s globally recognized Sustainability Benchmarks,” said Sarah Price, Head of Projects and Development at PEFC International, welcoming the announcement.

The development of the Indian national forest certification system will benefit from the experiences of other Asian countries, with China, Indonesia and Malaysia already benefitting from PEFC-endorsed systems, with Japan anticipated to apply for global recognition through PEFC shortly. Other countries, including the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, are at various stages in the development of their respective national forest certification systems.

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