Study: Certified Forests Yield Healthy Forests
Community-based, sustainable forest management creates healthier forests that are less susceptible to wildfires and less likely to be cut down by locales. That’s the conclusion of a recent Rainforest Alliance (RA) study conducted in Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve, which compared the health of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified forests with completely protected forests. For many years, NGOs such as Rainforest Alliance and Conservation International have been preserving forests by giving communities an economic stake in their preservation. The theory is when locales can make a living by preserving forests they are less likely to clear the land for cattle grazing, farming and other less sustainable activities. RA’s study shows the strategy is successful. From 2002-2007, the average annual deforestation rate for the entire reserve was 20 times higher than the deforestation rate for the FSC-certified concessions. Since 1998 the incidence of wildfires in the Reserve has ranged from 7-20%, while wildfires on FSC-certified concessions have steadily dropped from 6.5% in 1998 to 0.1% in 2007. "Nearly two decades ago, the Rainforest Alliance pioneered the strategy of using market forces to conserve forests knowing that economic incentives are key to protecting biodiversity and curbing deforestation," says Tensie Whelan, president of the […]