Forest Certification in Developing and Transitioning ... - UTas ePrints

forest certification in bolivia
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Future Development
Over the past 10 years, Bolivia has experienced significant developments in forest
management and forest certification, which I identify as Phase I. Now it is necessary
to start Phase II of management, which is the inclusion of real monitoring of natural
regeneration and responses to harvesting, and the implementation of silvicultural
practices to assure that forest management is truly environmentally sustainable. Here,
certifiers have a role in asking for continual improvement of forestry practices.
Future Research
HCVF management is expected to be a bottleneck for Bolivian certification. Research
to identify HCVF attributes and applicable management methods will be necessary,
which may be beyond the managers’ capacity. If management becomes too expensive,
too complicated, or scientist-dependent, it will be impracticable and no longer be an
interesting option. Basic research should be funded and carried out by the Bolivian
government, NGOs, and the international community.
Supporters of forest certification should continue to promote the use of certified
products in the international market, identify fair markets, and advocate for better
prices. In addition, domestic markets should also be developed, as otherwise certification
market benefits will be a privilege only for exporters. Finally, the North-South
balance in all approaches and negotiations is a requirement if stakeholders want certification
to work in the long term in all corners of the Earth.
yale school of forestry & environmental studies