Certificates sustainable wood sometimes counterproductive

According to research at Ghent University (UGent), certificates for sustainable wood production have a counterproductive effect in certain regions. All over the world, NGOs are trying to make sure that wood that is put on the market is harvested in sustainably managed forests through certification schemes like FSC and PEFC.
A large part of the worldwide wood production is done in Africa and Latin America. The costs to get certified there are quite high. Because of these costs the foresters don’t see the added value of the certificate and move their trade to areas that don’t have these quality demands, like Asian or African countries (Press release UGent, 26 July 2017).
Click here for the press release (in Dutch).

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