PEFC General Assembly Approves Revised Sustainable Forest Management and Group Forest Management Certification Standards

Since 2016, the PEFC General Assembly has been revising two important certification schemes, the Sustainable Forest Management and Group Forest Management Certification benchmark standards. 

"Today was a future defining day for PEFC," the organization recorded on its website. 

Certifications are important for sustainable forest management. "The certification standards benefit organised forest-based smallholders and communities to become members of PEFC," Martin Greijmans of The Center for People and Forest (RECOFTC), noted. "This means that national certification bodies now have a chance to draw in larger amounts of smallholders and social forestry management schemes, which will go a long way in achieving many of the region's goals."

RECOFTC heavily contributed to the revision process. "Our role has been to ensure the standards considered remove barriers rather than create them. For example, we helped promote traditional land use mechanisms and forest management as acceptable forms of sustainable forest management," Greijmans stated. 

In doing so, RECOFTC and the PEFC have shifted certification from national definitions of sustainable forest management to a more inclusive and representative form indicative of each country's rich history in forest management. 

For more information, please visit PEFC Standards Revision