Publication:
Impact of FSC Certication on Deforestation and the Incidence of Wildfires in the Maya Biosphere Reserve.

dc.contributor.authorHughell, D.
dc.contributor.authorButterfield, R.
dc.date.accessioned2022-01-23T18:55:16Z
dc.date.available2022-01-23T18:55:16Z
dc.identifier.urihttps://open.fsc.org/handle/resource/541
dc.titleImpact of FSC Certication on Deforestation and the Incidence of Wildfires in the Maya Biosphere Reserve.en
dcterms.abstractIn 1990 the government of Guatemala created the Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR) with over 2 million hectares in northern Petén to guarantee the preservation of the natural and cultural patrimony for future generations. For administrative purposes the MBR is divided into three zones with varying degrees of resource management: 1) Core protected area (CPA), designated for strict protection; 2) Multiple use zone (MUZ), designated for managed and sustainable low impact agriculture and the extraction of timber and non-timber forest resources; and 3) Buffer zone (BZ), a 15 km wide zone at the southern limits of the MBR where agriculture and land ownership are permitted. This move was controversial as many environmental groups lobbied for complete protected area status for the area and expressed concerns about allowing extractive activities within the reserve. In response, the Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas (CONAP) required that new forest concessions within the MUZ become Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified within three years of the initial concession grant. Rainforest Alliance (RA) has been active in the MBR for over 11 years, beginning with FSC training courses by RA's SmartWood program in 1996 and the first FSC certified community concession in the MBR in 1998. Currently, RA's Training, Extension, Enterprises and Sourcing (TREES) program is working to build links between FSC certified operations in the MBR and buyers of FSC-certified timber. By late 2007, RA had certified 478,000 hectares in the MBR, representing 60% of the multiple use zone and 23% of the total land base. To better understand the impact of FSC forest certification on forest conservation, we calculated the deforestation rate and examined the occurrence of wildfires on FSC certified concessions, and compared those with deforestation rates and wildfire occurrences on the other land use zones within the MBR.We found that:• From 2002 to 2007, the average annual deforestation rate for the entire MBR and the core protected areas was twenty times higher than the deforestation rate for the FSC certified concessions.• Since 1998 the incidence of wildfires in the MBR has been variable (7% to 20% of forest area burnt annually), while the area burnt on FSC certified concessions has been a fraction of that and steadily dropped from 6.5% in 1998 to 0.1% in 2007.en
dcterms.accessRightsPublic
dcterms.accessRightsOpen access
dcterms.bibliographicCitationHughell, D., Butterfield, R., 2008. Impact of FSC Certication on Deforestation and the Incidence of Wildfires in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Rainforest alliance.en
dcterms.issued2008
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCopyrighted; all rights reserveden
dcterms.publisherRainforest Alliance
dcterms.typeWorking Paper
dspace.entity.typePublication
fsc.evidenceCategoryFSC impact-related
fsc.focus.forestTypeNatural Forest
fsc.focus.forestZoneTropical
fsc.focus.sustainDimensionEnvironmental
fsc.issue.environmentalDeforestation, tree cover loss
fsc.issue.environmentalForest disturbance, forest degradation
fsc.issue.environmentalBiodiversity
fsc.subjectProtected areas
fsc.subjectDeforestation
fsc.subjectTree cover loss
fsc.subjectGovernance
fsc.topic.environmentalProtected Areas
fsc.topic.politicalGovernance
is.availability.fullTextFull text available
is.contributor.funderTypeUnreported
is.contributor.memberRainforest Alliance
is.coverage.countryGuatemala
is.coverage.countryAlpha2GT
is.coverage.geographicLevelRegion
is.coverage.latitude15.783471
is.coverage.longitude-90.230759
is.coverage.regionCentral America
is.evaluation.collectionMapping
is.evaluation.counterfactsYes
is.evaluation.dataSourceGeospatial data layers
is.evaluation.findingsThe average annual deforestation rate during the period 2002-2007 was almost twenty times higher in the core protected area (0.79%) than in the FSC-certified concession (0.04%).
is.evaluation.findingsThe FSC-certified concessions have consistently smaller incidences of wildfires than the Buffer Zone.
is.evaluation.findingsThe FSC-certified concessions have consistently smaller incidences of wildfires than the Multiple-Use Zone.
is.evaluation.notesInteresting study, though 'deforestation' in FSC certified areas is problematic as it is not supposed to occur. Makes the case for FSC certification also as a conservation tool along the lines of better 'responsibly managed' than 'fully protected but illegally logged'.
is.evaluation.outcomeyes
is.evaluation.quotesThis study found significantly less deforestation and incidence of wildfires within the FSC certified forest concessions than in the remainder of the multiple use zone and the overall MBR.
is.evaluation.quotesThe decision to grant forest concessions within the MBR was contentious in 1990 but has since proven to be strategically astute for the long-term protection of forest cover. If current rates of deforestation continue, the MBR will lose 38% of its 1986 forest cover by 2050, with most of that loss within the western core protected areas and the buffer zone. Of the remaining forest cover, an increasing percentage will be comprised of the FSC certified forest concessions. The success of the FSC certified concessions in maintaining forest cover is likely due to the sustainable management practices required by FSC certification as well as continued donor support and the activities of numerous government and non-government organizations to promote environmental awareness, community vigilance programs, and sustainable economic activities. FSC certification has clearly played a pivotal role in protecting Petén"'s forest resources and will have an increasingly important role in the future in maintaining forest cover in the MBR.
is.evaluation.quotesFrom 2002 to 2007, the average annual deforestation rate for the entire MBR and the core protected areas was twenty times higher than the deforestation rate for the FSC certified concessions
is.evaluation.quotesSince 1998 the incidence of wildfires in the MBR has been variable (7% to 20% of forest area burnt annually), while the area burnt on FSC certified concessions has been a fraction of that and steadily dropped from 6.5% in 1998 to 0.1% in 2007.
is.evaluation.significanceStatistically significant
is.evidenceSubTypeEmpirical study - with matched control, data collected post-intervention
is.evidenceTypeEmpirical study
is.focus.productsOther forestry and logging
is.focus.sdgSDG 15 - Life on Land
is.focus.sdgSDG 12 - Responsible Production and Consumption
is.focus.sectorsAgriculture
is.focus.sectorsForestry
is.focus.sustainDimensionEnvironmental
is.focus.sustainIssueForests and other ecosystems
is.focus.sustainLensAudits and assurance
is.focus.sustainLensEcosystem
is.focus.sustainLensLandscape approaches
is.focus.sustainOutcomeDeforestation and forest protection
is.focus.sustainOutcomeForest fires
is.focus.systemElementMandE outcomes and impacts
is.focus.systemElementMandE performance monitoring
is.identifier.codeImpacts
is.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.34800/fsc-international785
is.identifier.schemeNameRainforest Alliance
is.identifier.schemeTypeVoluntary Sustainability Standards
is.item.statusFinal
is.link.urlhttp://www.rainforest-alliance.org/forestry/documents/peten_study.pdf
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