Support from Diverse Sectors Helps WWF Promote Responsible Forest Management and Trade (August 2005)
 |
Workers at a sawmill belonging to Decolvenaere -
a Belgian company working with WWF’s GFTN to
receive FSC certification - earn three times
Cameroon’s minimum wage. |
Over the past quarter, prominent corporations and other organizations confirmed new support for WWF’s Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN). The funding and technical assistance that USAID has provided to WWF and Metafore under the Sustainable Forest Products Global Alliance has enabled them to advance a new model for forest conservation and community development in USAID-client countries in which sustainable forest management is rewarded in the global marketplace. One of the most important effects of USAID’s support under its Global Development Alliance model has been to leverage significant involvement for the work of WWF and Metafore from diverse sectors. As evidenced in several compelling stories, this support is leading to tangible results for WWF’s GFTN.
European Commission Approves €3.5 Million Grant for WWF GFTN in Asia and Africa
 |
The European Commission (EC) approved a grant worth nearly €3.5 million (US $4.2 million) over five years to support the WWF GFTN’s efforts to improve management of forest resources and prevent illegal logging of tropical forests in Africa and Asia. The grant will help GFTN strengthen the ability of corporations and communities that produce forest products to implement stepwise approaches to achieving forest certification and timber tracking systems, and to verify that their forest products are legally produced. The unsustainable and often illegal harvesting of forests represents a major threat to tropical forest ecosystems and their associated biodiversity in the targeted African and Asian countries. Illegal harvesting activities also threaten the livelihoods of local communities and undermine the efforts of both private and public sector organizations to develop viable approaches to forest management. At the same time, there is increasing demand among buyers of forest products for products that are verified as legal and certified as responsibly produced.
“This grant from the European Commission will help us to significantly increase capacity in Asia and Africa to bring forest products from legal and responsibly managed sources to market,” said Darius Sarshar, GFTN’s producer group coordinator.
Tropical Forest Foundation Joins Forces with WWF GFTN
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF) entered into an agreement recognizing their mutual interest in promoting responsible forestry and providing economic opportunity by increasing the trade in responsible wood products. This partnership is designed to accelerate sustainable forest management and reduced-impact logging (RIL) practices. TFF and WWF will collaborate on many activities, including developing pilot projects between GFTN and TFF programs in Brazil, the Guianas, Indonesia, and Central Africa that link producer group members and RIL-verified products to the market. Contingent upon its success, the pilot program will be expanded to other regions.
“TFF's track record of delivering on the ground RIL training and other sustainable forestry principles combined with WWF’s global outreach presents a win-win opportunity for both organizations and for tropical rainforests,” said TFF President Carl Gade.
Renewed Corporate Support and Measurable Results for the GFTN in Russia
 |
Some of the most significant progress that the WWF GFTN is deriving from multi-sector support is occurring in Russia. With financial support from USAID and IKEA, membership in GFTN’s forest & trade network in Russia has grown from three in early 2003 to a current level of 17. IKEA recently approved US $215,000 of additional funding for GFTN activities in Russia over the next 3 years. The Russia network’s core objectives are to create market links for member products; provide technical assistance in forest management and chain of custody (CoC) certification; and assist members with communications with government agencies, NGOs, and the media. The members, which include some of Russia’s largest producers of logs, sawn timber, and pulp and paper, manage 1.8 million hectares of FSC-certified forests and a combined forest lease area of over 12 million hectares. The vast majority of these hectares are now committed, through membership in the association, to credible certification over the next 10 years. In addition, there are now a significant number of new applicants to the group, including small, medium, and large producers from all regions in Russia including Siberia and the Russian Far East.
Back to Top ^
|
