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Certification To Save World's Forests

EMBARGO: 06.00 GMT, Thursday 29 January 1998

London - More than 6 million hectares of forests (an area greater in size than Switzerland) have now been independently certified under the auspices of the FSC (1) certification and labelling scheme - the only independent global guarantee that timber comes from well managed forests which do not threaten wildlife and indigenous people.

"Forest certification has really taken off globally and WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) is well over half way to meeting its target of achieving 10 million hectares of certified forests by the end of 1998," said Francis Sullivan, Director, WWF's Global Forests for Life Campaign. Independent timber certification now has the support of businesses worldwide, indigenous people, forest owners and global organisations, such as the World Bank, which has set a new target to achieve the independent certification of 200 million hectares of well managed forests by 2005. "With this level of commitment to forest certification, WWF aims to promote good forest management by ensuring that timber is sourced from certified woods," said Francis Sullivan.

Timber certification is now widely recognised as one of the most effective tools for encouraging forest protection. In the wake of new figures revealing a record high in deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon, a unique business coalition, the WWF 1995+ Group(2) is today (29 January) calling for support from consumers and industry for its UK-led initiative to ensure that timber consumed in Britain does not contribute to forest destruction in Brazil - or anywhere else in the world. Several Buyers' Groups are now operating worldwide (in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Spain, Switzerland, UK and the USA) which are committed to buying increasing amounts of wood and wood products from certified forests and more than 1,000 FSC endorsed wood products are now on sale in the UK alone. "By buying FSC endorsed wood, consumers can help put an end to deforestation caused by destructive and illegal logging, through supporting good forestry practice," Dr. Steve Howard, WWF-UK's Senior Forests Officer.

FSC certification has been endorsed by leaders of indigenous people. Olof Johannson, Representative of the National Union of Swedish Sami People, highlighted the benefits of FSC certification in Sweden - in certified forests, the Sami people have guaranteed access to forests which their reindeer depend on to survive. Wildlife is another chief beneficiary of forest certification. Richard Donovan, Director of the timber certification company Smartwood, has discovered that bears and wolves survive in the certified forests of Northern Minnesota and, in Costa Rica, the certified Fundacion Tuva project is home to jaguar and scarlet macaws.

Notes to Editors

(1) FSC - The FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1993. The FSC supports environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests. Its main activity is to accredit organisations which certify the quality of forest management. Forest products derived from forests certified within the FSC framework are allowed to carry the FSC trademark.

(2) WWF 1995+ Group is a partnership between WWF and more than 80 companies across the UK. Members of the Group are committed to contributing to improved forest management around the world by purchasing ever-increasing volumes of wood and wood products from well managed forests. WWF acts as the facilitator and gatekeeper for the Group. The Group has a turnover in wood products of more than £3 billion. The UK imports 85% of its wood products and the WWF 1995+ Group imports from 68 countries. Similar Buyers' Groups also operate in Austria, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the USA.

Countries which supply certified timber to UK retailers (in order of volume): South Africa, Sweden, Brazil, Poland, Malaysia, Mexico, USA, Zimbabwe, UK, Belgium, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Czech Republic, Paraguay.

Forest Facts

  • WWF's Forests for Life Campaign seeks to:
    • - promote the independent certification of 10 million hectares (25 million acres) of forests by the end of 1998
    • - establish an ecologically representative network of protected areas covering at least 10% of the world's forests by the year 2000
  • A recent study by WWF and WCMC (World Conservation Monitoring Centre) estimated that almost two-thirds of the world's forests have already disappeared.
  • At least 5 million hectares of land were destroyed by forests fires in 1997
Slides and B-roll footage available

PRESS CONTACT: Rachel Thackray -Tel: 0181 347 6743 (Mobile: 0973 618304)


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