FSC GD / Arturo Escobar
Mission & Vision
Mission
FSC will promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests.
Vision
The true value of forests is recognized and fully incorporated into society worldwide. FSC is the leading catalyst and defining force for improved forest management and market transformation, shifting the global forest trend toward sustainable use, conservation, restoration, and respect for all.
FSC GD
Principles and Criteria
To achieve our mission and vision, FSC has developed a set of ten principles and 70 criteria that apply to FSC-certified forests around the world.
The principles include the following:
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Principle #1: Compliance with laws
The Organization shall comply with all applicable laws, regulations and nationally-ratified international treaties, conventions and agreements.
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Principle #2: Workers' rights and employment conditions
The Organization shall maintain or enhance the social and economic well-being of workers.
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Principle #3: Indigenous peoples’ rights
The Organization shall identify and uphold indigenous peoples’ legal and customary rights of ownership, use and management of land, territories and resources affected by management activities.
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Principle #4: Community relations
The Organization shall contribute to maintaining or enhancing the social and economic well-being of local communities.
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Principle #5: Benefits from the forest
The Organization shall efficiently manage the range of multiple products and services of the Management Unit to maintain or enhance long term economic viability and the range of environmental and social benefits.
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Principle #6: Environmental values and impact
The Organization shall maintain, conserve and/or restore ecosystem services and environmental values of the Management Unit, and shall avoid, repair or mitigate negative environmental impacts.
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Principle #7: Management planning
The Organization shall have a management plan consistent with its policies and objectives and proportionate to scale, intensity and risks of its management activities.
The management plan shall be implemented and kept up to date based on monitoring information in order to promote adaptive management. The associated planning and procedural documentation shall be sufficient to guide staff, inform affected stakeholders and interested stakeholders and to justify management decisions.
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Principle #8: Monitoring and assessment
The Organization shall demonstrate that progress towards achieving the management objectives, the impacts of management activities and the condition of the Management Unit, are monitored and evaluated proportionate to the scale, intensity and risk of management activities, in order to implement adaptive management.
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Principle #9: High conservation values
The Organization shall maintain and/or enhance the high conservation values in the Management Unit through applying the precautionary approach.
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Principle #10: Implementation of management activities
Management activities conducted by or for the Organization for the Management Unit shall be selected and implemented consistent with the Organization’s economic, environmental and social policies and objectives, and in compliance with the Principles and Criteria collectively.
25 Years Of FSC
Looking Back On 25 Years Of FSC
More than 25 years ago, the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio failed to produce an agreement to stop deforestation. In response, a committed a group of businesses, environmentalists and community leaders banded together to create a revolutionary concept: a voluntary, market-based approach that would improve forestry practices worldwide.