From the beginning, ITTO has highlighted that promoting forest and timber certification in the tropics is a formidable and daunting task. This is principally due to tropical forests being the richest and most diverse terrestrial ecosystems whose criteria and indicators for sustainable management are far more complex and demanding than non-tropical forests. This report reviews and assesses progress in the comparability and equivalence of forest certification systems, particularly in view of the promotion of tropical timber certification. It is needed because of the proliferation of both certification systems and the market requirements for such systems in the public and private sectors of tropical timber importing countries. This latest ITTO study also highlights lack of skills and adequate management systems in forest management units, barriers in accessing certification services, limited awareness of the importance of certification and lack of certifiable forests as the main factors inhibiting progress in forest and timber certification in the tropics. It also updates the status of implementation of forest and timber certification, developments toward comparability and acceptance of certification systems and schemes as well as emerging issues on verification of legality and certification of community forests and smallholder forest owners that may have some significant implications for ITTO member countries.

Type of Case
Printed publication (book, sourcebook, journal article…)

Publisher
ITTO

Region
Global

Biome
Tropical

Forest Type
All forest types (natural and planted)

Primary Designated Function
Multiple use