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

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forest certification in developing and transitioning countries
Consequently there are no known management plans (Kowero 2003). This makes it
difficult to prescribe any actions for purposes of maximizing productivity of any
given forest product including timber. Nonetheless, the certifying of some forest areas
gives credence over time to the practices that are being applied to the forests, as
monitoring is done by independent auditors. This creates confidence that sustainable
management practices are being established. There is therefore an incentive to
manage the forest as prescribed in the agreements.
the reaction to certification
Key interest in forest certification has thus far been limited to companies and
organizations that saw a market benefit and have had backers to assist them go
through the certification. Government officials have been uninterested because,
although they are responsible for all the forests, government does not sell trees or other
forest products outside the country. The other reason could be that they have not been
properly made aware of the benefits that certification may bring to the nation as a
whole. Thirdly, it is an institutional matter. The Forestry Department does not deal
with land tenure matters. These are handled by other sectors of the government. In
addition, the Forest Department does not promote selling of forest produce. Their role
is well defined in statutes: to manage forest resources. The issuing of permits to collect
forest products and licences to harvest trees is just a forest management tool.
Forest Policy Community and Stakeholders
Forest policy makers initially had no idea what certification would or would not do.
The effect on policy could not be envisaged, so the reaction was to wait and see. To
date there is no specific policy on certification, as it is viewed as a marketing tool
rather than a forest management tool. There is no objection for those that legally lease
or own forests to certify them.
Environmental issues in Zambia are not a big agenda item that would generate
wide interest unless in situations where there is an immediate negative impact.
Consequently, as the practice of forest certification is not a widely talked about issue,
there is little interest from other quarters such as NGOs and academicians.
Forest Owners
In Zambia the forest owner is the government. Local villagers may collect various
forest products from the forest with very little management. The management is a
government responsibility. Because certification encourages conservation and
sustainable management of the forests, the Forest Department accepts forest
certification in so far as it promotes sustainable management of the resource, but is
not yet ready to give up the control of the resource (Shakachite 2004). It has, however,
been possible to certify some forests because the communities have user rights for the
collection of products. Certification is desirable to the communities because it gives
them the capacity to sell their products to a larger market.
yale school of forestry & environmental studies