Brief about NCCF

The Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests, is a registered society of experts, professionals, and stakeholders of natural resources, engaged in the development of India-specific and globally benchmarked sustainability standards, as its core working area, apart from working for policy advocacy, training and capacity building through multi-stakeholder engagement. It is a member of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) Alliance from India, a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Global Evergreening Alliance (GEA) and has got an Observer Status with the UNCCD as a Civil Society Organization (CSO). While NCCF’s application for accreditation with UNFCCC as a CSO is under consideration by UNFCCC, it has been given a “provisional admittance” for participation in COP 27 at Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022.

NCCF has developed the first ever Indian Certification Standard for Forest Management and that has been endorsed by the leading international certification organization, the PEFC, giving it global recognition. This scheme is being used by many states for forest certification. NCCF has launched its Trees outside Forests (ToF) Certification Scheme, which is the first of its kind and is currently under the process of endorsement by PEFC. NCCF has launched Safeboards Standards for certifying the products with low formaldehyde emission levels. NCCF’s Certification standards for Ecotourism, Non- Wood Forest Resources, Quality Planting Material, and Protected Areas and Wetlands are at advanced stages of development.

The National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB), a constituent Board of the Quality Council of India (QCI), an autonomous national accreditation body under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), has also recognized the NCCF-PEFC FM Scheme by providing accreditation to the Certification Bodies (CBs). Under an arrangement with the NABCB, NCCF is providing provisional approval to the CBs for the NCCF-PEFC FM Scheme, w. e. f. 01 August 2021, however, NABCB will continue to provide regular accreditation to the CBs.

NCCF has developed a Carbon Registry-India (CR-I) to provide a platform for carbon tracking and trading for verified net Green House Gases emissions reductions and removals enhancement with Sustainable Development Contributions. It would offer listing and tracking facilities for projects sequestering carbon and issuance of carbon credits. CR-I will also facilitate micro-scale projects and has the potential to provide a compatible platform for small landholder farmers to avail carbon credits and get linked to the carbon markets. The Registry will help in climate change mitigation and adaptation and aims to diligently follow up with India’s NDCs.

In August 2024, NCCF proudly launched the Trees Outside Forests (ToF) standard, with the esteemed presence of Mr. Franklin L. Khobung, Joint Secretary, MoAFW, PEFC Chair Mr. Eduardo Rojas and South East Asia Manager Mr. Richard Laity. This launch highlighted the standard’s critical role in meeting European Union Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR) criteria, helping industries mitigate deforestation and forest degradation by reducing reliance on timber from forests. NCCF remains dedicated to excellence by organizing ongoing PEFC CoC Initial and Refresher training sessions, including the recent PEFC CoC Initial training in September 2024 for auditors, consultants, reviewers, and certification decision makers. Additionally, NCCF is actively integrating relevant EUDR criteria into our Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and ToF standards to ensure continued compliance and effectiveness.

Updated on Sep 11, 2024