Forest Carbon Working Group issues report of first meeting

11/20/2009

The Forest Carbon Working Group (FCWG) has issued a report of their first meeting. Representatives from economic, social and environmental organizations in the North and South participated in the meeting to identify and prioritize the issues and topics that will determine the FCWG’s strategy and activities.

At the meeting in Bonn, Germany, from 9-11 September 2009, the FCWG identified two main draft objectives. First, to ensure that FSC standards are adjusted to or compatible with the specific requirements of forest climate projects or programmes without compromising system integrity or otherwise impairing FSC’s reputation. Second, to ensure that FSC certification is widely recognized, referenced and used by voluntary and regulatory systems for crediting forest-based carbon.

The FCWG will focus action on strategic planning; reviewing the FSC scheme to make FSC certification fully applicable in the context of forest climate protection; promoting FSC as an effective multi-stakeholder certification programme and monitoring, verification, and reporting (MRV) system; developing tools and training modules to support social and southern stakeholders as well as smallholders and communities; and entering into strategic partnerships to confront issues that are outside the scope of FSC.

Activities by FSC related to forest-based carbon accounting go back to 1999 when a Carbon Certification Workshop was held at the FSC General Assembly. A policy motion was passed with overwhelming majority at the 2008 FSC General Assembly. This motion requested the exploration of FSC’s engagement in forest-based carbon initiatives and frameworks to mitigate climate change. Based on this mandate, the Forest Carbon Working Group (FCWG) was es-tablished in July 2009 to research and provide advice on relevant issues, and facilitate decision-making processes. A summary of the meeting is available at www.fsc.org/climatechange.html