Open Knowledge (FSC OK)

Forest certification acts as a bridge between market regulation and environmental governance by furnishing specific criteria in response to consumers and buyers� demands that production practices ensure forest integrity and resilience. In this sense, voluntary certification acts as a non-state arbiter of conformity with quality and performance criteria in achieving socio-environmental goals. This chapter seeks to analyse the limitations and perspectives that forest certification may contribute toward biodiversity conservation as part of a broader policy context. The study describes a range of forest certification initiatives around the world, how they operate and who are the primary stakeholders involved. It also discusses key elements such as the institutional context and requirements for the instrument to be effective for biodiversity conservation and to minimise the negative socioeconomic and environmental impacts of forest resource utilisation. It concludes with a brief analysis of the role of forest certification in a mix of command-and-control and economic instruments.