Publication:
Forest certification as a policy option in conserving biodiversity: An empirical study of forest management in Tanzania

dc.contributor.authorKalonga, S.K.
dc.contributor.authorMidtgaard, F.
dc.contributor.authorKlanderud, K.
dc.date.accessioned2022-01-23T18:55:23Z
dc.date.available2022-01-23T18:55:23Z
dc.identifier.urihttps://open.fsc.org/handle/resource/568
dc.languageen
dc.rightsPaywalled content
dc.titleForest certification as a policy option in conserving biodiversity: An empirical study of forest management in Tanzaniaen
dcterms.abstractForest certification management standards aim at maintaining forest ecosystem integrity, including for-est biodiversity conservation. However, studies from the Amazon and Congo basin find that forest certi-fication may not protect forest biodiversity and ecosystems, and may therefore be unsustainable. Thisstudy evaluates the influence of forest certification on conserving biodiversity. Specifically, we (a) esti-mate tree (adult and seedling) species richness, diversity and density among different forest managementregimes; (b) assess the relationship between environmental and human forest use variables, and speciesrichness, diversity and density among the forest management regimes; and (c) assess the influence of for-est governance of villages adjacent to the forests on tree (adult and seedling) species richness, diversityand density among the forest management regimes. This is achieved in a comparative study of ForestStewardship Council certified community forests, non-certified open access forests, and non-certifiedstate forest reserves in the Kilwa District in Tanzania.Our results show that forest certification standards and implementation processes are positivelyrelated to biodiversity conservation. There are significantly higher tree (adults) species richness, diver-sity, and density in certified community forests than in open access forests and state forest reserves.These findings suggest that forest certification may be a good policy option to conserve biodiversity.The present study is one of the first studies in tropical Africa, which contributes to the limited data onthe influence of forest certification on conserving biodiversity. Our results may also serve as baselinefor further research on the contribution of certified forests in conserving biodiversity at both temporaland spatial scales.en
dcterms.issued2016
dcterms.typeJournal Article
dspace.entity.typePublication
fsc.evidenceCategoryFSC effect-related studies
fsc.focus.forestTypeNatural Forest
fsc.focus.forestZoneTropical
fsc.focus.sustainDimension2. Environmental
fsc.focus.tenureManagementCommunity
fsc.focus.tenureOwnership(not yet curated)
fsc.issue.environmentalPlant diversity
fsc.topic.environmental2.4. Compositional diversity
fscdoc.hashidden.adminyes
fscdoc.hashidden.useryes
is.coverage.countryUnited Republic of Tanzania
is.coverage.regionAfrica
is.evaluation.collectionField Measurements
is.evidenceSubTypeData collected post-intervention
is.evidenceTypeComparative study with matched control
is.extent.pages12-Jan
is.extent.volume361
is.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2015.10.034
is.identifier.fscdoihttp://dx.doi.org/10.34800/fsc-international682
is.journalNameForest Ecology and Management
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