The course in June was attended by 49 participants including government officials, forest managers, representatives of universities and other training institutions from Central and West Africa.
The objectives of this course included equipping forestry practitioners in the region with the necessary knowledge, tools and skills on forest certification, including development of forest certification standards. This would lead to increased implementation of forest certification in order to, ultimately, achieve Sustainable Forest Management (SFM).
FSC’s East Africa Sub regional coordinator, Paul Opanga presented a component of the workshop highlighting the FSC strategy, public engagement processes and market in the region. Participants were able to attend a field visit to the Esukawkaw Forest Reserve (FR) to observe the FSC controlled-wood system in action. Participants were able to identify benefits of certification, including increased visibility and access to markets, environmental benefits and competitive advantage.
Other sessions included group work and feedback, Q and A opportunities and commentaries.
Based on feedback from participants, the following key observations will prove crucial for FSC’s approach in the region going forward:
There is low level of awareness among state agencies on forest certification processes;
Forest resources in these sub regions are under threat of corruption, illegal logging and intensive exploitation;
Participants expressed concerns that local markets do not differentiate between certified and non-certified products. There is the need to create and sustain markets for certified products in local, national, sub regional and international markets;
The challenge of cost was a concern, particularly for smallholders. Additionally, consumers are not adequately aware of forest certification and do not preferentially purchase certified products. The lack of preferential consideration is also a problem in local and sub-regional markets, as well as some international markets such as China;
Certification uptake is quite low in the region, coupled with limited knowledge and an inadequate number of locally based auditors;
FSC needs to increase its engagement with AFF to take advantage of the position AFF holds as a key role-player in the region. This could be achieved through an MOU;
FSC could further engage with ATA Marie Group (www.ata-marie.co.id), a consulting firm involved in the development of a Wood Tracking System (WTS) for Ghana as part of strengthening data management in certified forest management units;
The Rainforest Alliance in Ghana could be engaged to assist in creating awareness on certification processes in the sub regions; and
Ghana stand out as a vital country in terms of multi-lateral & forestry processes including Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiatives, other multi-stakeholder engagements, International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) engagements and innovations around Wood Tracking systems. There is therefore a need for FSC to reconsider strengthening its contact in the country as a possible launch-pad for activities in West Africa.
FSC members who attended the training were informed that an Africa Regional meeting will take place between 13- 14th October in South Africa, and that details of the meeting would be communicated via the FSC board and FSC membership section. Participants were also informed about the New Approaches Initiative (NAI) meeting on 12-16th September in Tanzania and that interested participants should inform FSC offices in the region. An appeal was also made to AFF to participate in the NAI meeting in Tanzania.
For more information, contact:
Paul Opanga at p.opanga@fsc.org