Open Knowledge (FSC OK)

Deforestation and forest fragmentation are leading drivers of biodiversityloss. Protected areas 16have beena leading conservation policyresponse, yettheirscaleand scope remain inadequate to 17meet biodiversity conservation targets. Conservation through managedforest concessions is 18increasingly recognized as a complementary policy approach to protected areas.Voluntary third-19party certificationprograms intendto create incentivesfor logging companies to managetheir20forestsmore sustainably. Providing rigorous evidence ofimpactsfromsuch large-scale programs 21is critical, howeverdetailed field data are limited over both space and time. Remotely-sensed 22dataproducts provide repeatedobservationsat a fine spatial scale.Using the Global Forest 23Change dataset, a product of remote sensing,we examine forest loss in Cameroon during 2000-242013 to assess theimpactof Forest Stewardship Council certification. We also assess reductions 25in forest loss in uncertified logging concessionsandnational parksusingpanel regressionsto26control for the effects of factors that vary acrossspace and time.We find a lowamount offorest 27loss within each intervention(<1% lost overthestudy period)yet on average there isminimal 28avoidedforest loss from certified concessions, uncertified concessions andnational parks.29Uncertified logging concessions do, however, appear to reduce forest loss in locations with 30higher deforestation pressure, which may reflect practices by private companies to protecttheir 31rightsto use the forest. Thisinfluence of private logging companies could provide a foundation 32for impactsfromFSC certification on forest loss in areasfacingelevated deforestation pressure