Carstensen emphasized that there is not one solution, nor one actor who can and should address this. “It requires a range of measures, and involvement of governments, business and civil society. Practising sustainable forest management, fighting forest crime (illegal large-scale logging), promoting sustainably managed plantations on degraded lands, and developing integrated spatial landscape policies, also to tackle the forest-agriculture complex, are all important components. Forests are going to be essential for the prosperity of people, but prosperity based on optimisation of resource use.”
While agriculture is largely seen as the current main driver of deforestation globally, it was underlined in the ensueing panel discussion that non-sustainable forest management and forest degradation often precede conversion into agricultural lands. Carstensen called for measures to defend the value of forests for society, including through systematic payment for ecosystem policies, and fighting illegal logging.
Carstensen commented that “In an ideal world of 2030, certification of forests might not be anymore necessary as technical evidence of sustainable forest management. In that world, all governments, business and communities across the globe would practice and support sustainable forest management. But even then, forest certification, securing systematic engagement of stakeholders with a broad range of interests, will still be an important part of the toolbox to reconcile the different roles forests need to play.”
FSC also took part as a supporting organization and had an information booth in the foyer area. The publication "The increasing importance of forests to the prosperity of people" was launched today as the FSC contribution to the World Forests Summit. Please click here to download it.
About the World Forest Summit
The World Forests Summit, organised by The Economist gathered leading experts from around the world to identify common ground and discuss mechanisms for forest stakeholders to work together differently. Industry leaders, government ministers, scientists and activists met to agree the framework for future sustainable management of a precious global resource.