Internationally Bench marked National Forest Certification Standard Launched
NCCF
co-develops India’s Forest Management Certification Standard in
association with Ministries, Forest Departments, industry & NGOs
Paradigm shift towards achieving sustainable ecosystems and responsible utilisation of natural resources in India
New Delhi, January 15, 2018: Network for Certification & Conservation of Forests (NCCF) in association with the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change; Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare; Ministry of Commerce & Industry; Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH); state forest departments; international organizations; forest based industry; civil society organizations; farmers groups; tribal groups and workers associations; and many more forest based stakeholders has developed and released India’s country specific and internationally benchmarked Forest Management Certification Standard. The occasion also marked the launch of the National Certification Scheme for Sustainable Forest Management. The scheme announced at the National Conference on Forest Certification organized by NCCF will bring a paradigm shift towards ensuring responsible utilisation of natural resources and trade of forest products.
Lauding the
efforts of NCCF Shri C.K. Mishra, Secretary, MoEF&CC said that India
has submitted its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC)
to the UNFCCC, wherein it is committed to create an additional carbon
sink of 2.5-3 Gt CO2 equivalent through enhancement of forest and tree
cover by 2030 to achieve a target of 33% cover. A policy framework that
encourages tree cover growth and improves density of forests is
necessary to actualize carbon sequestration benefits to meet INDC.
Forest Certification is an emerging market based non-regulatory
conservation tool that promote sustainable forest management and
addresses to the concerns for environmental protection as well as social
and economic welfare. Mr Mishra desired that NCCF should partner with
the Ministry in arriving at a well thought out policy and action plan to
achieve the target of 33% forest and tree cover.”
Shri Siddhanta Das, DG, Forests
& Special Secretary, MoEF&CC, highlighted that India has
practiced scientific management of forests since 1864, built upon the
principles of sustainability. Initially the forest management had
primacy for timber extraction, but now there is paradigm shift to
achieve sustainable ecosystems and sustained availability of ecosystem
services and livelihoods of tribals and other forest dependent
communities.
Mr.
Vijai Sharma, IAS (Retd.), Chairman, NCCF, informed that “NCCF is well
placed to take stock of our present knowledge and identify future work
for sustaining our forests, preserving biodiversity and preventing
desertification. Trees outside Forests including Agroforestry and Urban
Forestry offer good potential to achieve the target of 33% forest and
tree cover. All such efforts need to be built around strengthening
partnerships amongst the forest based stakeholders and income growth of
the most vulnerable, fulfilment of basic minimum needs and environmental
protection. He also suggested that CAMPA funds may be extended to
agroforestry projects also. Mr.
Sachin Raj Jain, Convener & Treasurer, NCCF, added, “NCCF is
simultaneously developing the certification standards for the Trees
outside Forests (ToF), Protected Areas and Wetlands (PAWs) and Non-Wood
Forest Products (NWFPs). We are also planning to initiate the process
for development of other sustainable standards for sustainable
ecotourism and sustainable mining.”
According
to Mr. Suneel Pandey, Secretary, NCCF, “State Forest Development
Corporations and State Forest Departments have an immense scope of
entering the certified products market and get a premium value for their
produce.
The need for it: Forest
resource has been under strain primarily because of two reasons –
commercial use of wood and deforestation due to changes in land use.
Till now, two approaches were adopted – ‘top-down’ approach wherein
government formulates and implements policies; and the ‘bottom-up’
approach which is more of a participatory approach to protect forests.
However, ineffectiveness of both have led to a third approach – forest
certification. It introduces policy changes through commercial power,
rather than central or local power, and uses market acceptance rather
than regulatory compliance as an enforcement mechanism. Besides this,
regulations from developed countries have put a ban on commerce of
illegally sourced plants and their products including timber and paper.
Majorly, this has fuelled the need for legalising of sourcing through
forest certification. The components of forest certification essentially
complement various elements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation
(REDD+). The Paris Agreement on Climate Change, to which India is a
party, re-emphasised the significance of sustainable forest management
through the REDD+.
Ministries, industry bodies & companies who participated in developing the standard: A multi-stakeholder Standard Development Group (SDG) was formed as per UN Agenda 21, under chairmanship of Mr. Avani Kumar Verma,
an eminent professional forester, having representation from
ministries; State Forest Departments and State Forest Development
Corporations; distinguished professional foresters; Indian Council of
Forestry Research & Education (ICFRE); Indian Institute of Forest
Management (IIFM); Quality Council of India; Green Initiatives
Certification & Inspection Agency (GICIA); International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN); World Wildlife Fund (WWF); Confederation
of Indian Industries (CII); CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable
Development; Indian Paper Manufacturers’ Association (IPMA); Export
Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH); Chemical and Allied Export
Promotion Council of India (CAPEXIL); Centre for Indian Bamboo Research
& Technology (CIBART); International Network for Bamboo & Rattan
(INBAR); The Energy & Resource Institute (TERI);) and many more.