Beyond Timber Certification and Management of Non-Timber Forest Products Patricia Shanley • Alan Pierce • Sarah Laird • Dawn Robinson Beyond Timber Certification and Management of Non-Timber Forest Products Patricia Shanley, Alan Pierce, Sarah Laird and Dawn Robinson with contributions from: Mauricio Almeida, Jenne de Beer, D. Cole, Peter Cronkleton, Anthony Cunningham, Andre de Freitas, Carmen Garcia Fernandez, Patricia Cota Gomes, Cyril Lombard, Pablo Pacheco, Pierre du Plessis, Philippe Pommez, Silvia E. Purata, Susanne Schmitt, Sheona Shackleton, Mary Stockdale, Loana Johansson and Alexandre Dias Souza Researched by the Center for International Forestry Research Jl. CIFOR, Situ Gede, Bogor Barat 16115, Indonesia Tel.: +62 (251) 8622-622; Fax: +62 (251) 8622-100 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: http://www.cifor.cgiar.org Cover/Design: Ione Sena Cover photo: Patricia Shanley Printed by Harapan Prima Indonesia Authors’ Affiliations Patricia Shanley: Center for International Forestry Research Alan Pierce: Independent Researcher Sarah Laird: People and Plants International Dawn Robinson: ProForest Shanley, Patricia Beyond timber: Certification and management of non-timber forest products/by Patricia Shanley, Alan Pierce, Sarah Laird and Dawn Robinson. Bogor, Indonesia: Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), 2008. 144p. ISBN: 978-979-1412-44-5 CABI thesaurus: 1. certification 2. non-timber forest products 3. forest management 4. harvesting 5. rural communities 6. community forestry 7. trade 8. timber 9. standards 10. sustainability I. title II. Pierce, Alan III. Laird, Sarah IV. Robinson, Dawn. Disclaimer The views expressed in this document can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of IFAD, EU or USAID. © 2008 by CIFOR/Forest Trends All rights reserved. Published in 2008 Table of Contents Preface xii Acknowledgments xv Introduction 1 The Value of NTFPs in Livelihoods and Trade 2 An Introduction to Certification, Standards Development and Codes of Practice 7 Recent Efforts to Develop Standards and Certify NTFPs 10 A Focus on Forest Management Standards 19 PEFC and NTFPs 20 The Forest Stewardship Council and NTFPs 22 NTFPs within the Forest Management Certification Framework: Challenges and Recommendations 31 Contrasting NTFP and Timber Assessments — Socioeconomic and Ecological Issues 31 Technical Issues 34 Integrating NTFPs into Timber Certification 36 The Impact of Forest Management Certification on NTFP Harvesting 37 Species-specific Guidelines 43 Certifying the Harvester 45 Accessibility and Applicability of NTFP Certification 47 Challenges 48 Responses to the Challenges Identified 49 Enabling Conditions 56 A Country Case Study: NTFP Certification in Brazil 58 Opportunities and Challenges of NTFP Certification 65 Sustainable Resource Management 66 Opportunities 67 Challenges 68 Ecological Basis for Sustainable Management and Marketing 68 Characteristics That Can Facilitate Certification of Species 70 iv Beyond Timber Species vs. Site-based Certification 72 Certifying Cultivated vs. Wild NTFPs 74 Certification of Native, Exotic and/or Naturalized Species 77 Monitoring 80 Social Opportunities and Challenges 85 Opportunities 85 Challenges 86 Market and Economic Opportunities and Challenges 93 Opportunities 94 Challenges 94 Legal and Institutional Opportunities and Challenges 101 Opportunities 104 Challenges 104 Broader Applications for Standards and Certification 111 Collaboration and Harmonization: The Way Forward? 113 Conclusion 119 Recommendations 123 Actions That Forest Management Certification Schemes and Certifying Bodies Can Take 123 Actions That Governments Can Take 124 Actions the Private Sector Can Take 125 Actions That Conservation and Development NGOs Can Take 127 Actions That Campaining NGOs Can Take 128 Actions That Donors Can Take 129 Actions That Research and Education Institutions Can Take 130 References 133 Beyond Timber v List of Figures 1. Ver-o-Peso, Belém, Brazil. The most significant value of NTFPs is in their use for subsistence and commerce in local markets 6 2. Certified Brazil nut and medicinal copaiba oil. Global sale of certified non-timber forest products is growing among all social classes 3. Major Focus of Standards along the Supply Chain 18 4. A Kenyan sculptor cutting a hundred year old tree Brachylaena huillensis (muhugu) to sculpt rhinoceroses and salad spoons, before the program ‘Good Wood’ 26 5. Medicinal plant collector extracting Tabeuia sp. bark in a sawmill in the state of Pará, Brazil. The use of timber and non-timber forest products can be compatible if the population of high-value timber species is not overexploited 36 6. Small land-holders collecting garra-do-diabo (Harpagophytum procumbens) in Namibia, where producers’ associations were fundamental in the creation of directives for collection 52 7. Mr. Joel da Serra Norte de Oaxaca collecting mushrooms (Boletus edulis). Even the collectors who sell high-value NTFPs face many obstacles to certification 66 8. Mr. Domingos in Ponto de Pedras, Brazil, collecting bitter amapa latex (Parahancornia fasciculate). Local knowledge and practices are especially valuable for species that supply latex, barks and roots, which are little studied 69 9. Medicinal plant, Veronica (Dalbergia subcymosa), being collected in Amazonia. The majority of NTFPs around the world are still collected from wild places, very often by collectors that do not have title to the land where species are found 77 vi Beyond Timber 10. Ratan collectors Alangan Mangyan dragging fibers in the Philippines. Accessing sustainable supplies and creating a successful marketing strategy requires a long term commitment 81 11. Bolivia and Brazil are pioneers in the certification of NTFPs, especially Brazil nuts 96 12. Collectors and sellers of NTFPs face substantial, and often unnecessary, legal obstacles. Regulation must be carefully constructed and result from the input of a wide range of stakeholders 110 13. Piquiá, Caryocar villosum, a species used in boat construction because of its durability, also produces a highly nutritious fruit. In areas where timber is harvested intensely, domestic consumption of the fruit declines. Policies and practices related to forest use need to consider multiple uses of forests for the benefit of all of society 122 Beyond Timber vii List of Tables 1. Values and Volumes of Select Traded NTFPs 3 2. Attributes of Various Standards and Certification Programs for Non-Timber Forest Products 14 3. Forest Management Certification Schemes 19 4. NTFPs Included in the Scope of FSC Forest Management 23 5. NTFPs and Timber’s Relative Characteristics with Regard to Certification 33 6. Relations between Communities and Industries: Obstacles and Recommendations 43 7. Native and Exotic Medicinal Plants of Klabin Pulp and Paper Company Certified in 2000 59 8. Current FSC Certificates that Cover NTFPs in Brazil 61 9. Industries Marketing Certified NTFPs in Brazil: Holders of FSC CoC Certificates for NTFPs 63 viii Beyond Timber List of Boxes 1. Maple Syrup Certification in the USA 11 2. Forest Garden Product Label: Analog Forests in Sri Lanka 16 3. Good Woods in Kenya 27 4. Reforming Forestry Training to Include NTFPs: A Case in Brazil 34 5. Certified Timber or Threatened Medicinal? 35 6. FSC Principles and Criteria Related to Access to Resources by External Communities 38 7. Impact of Timber Certification on Resource Access in South Africa 39 8. Developing Standards for Brazil Nuts in Bolivia 41 9. Social Benefits of Certification 50 10. The Importance of Organization, Training and Marketing: The Case of Kenyan Woodcarvers 53 11. Moving On from a Certified Source: The Challenges of Chain of Custody Certification for Woodcarvers in Mexico 57 12. Rural Amazonians Devise Ways to Manage Palm for Palm Heart and Fruit 71 13. Wood Carving: Introduced Species Take Pressure off Slow- Growing Indigenous Species 75 14. Certification of a Mix of Native and Introduced Phytotherapeutics 76 15. Lessons Learned from Industry Working with NTFP Harvesting Communities 80 16. Community Monitoring of Sustainable Harvests of NTFPs 82 17. Land Tenure Struggles One of the Barriers to Brazil Nut Certification in Bolivia 88 18. Brazil Nut: Economic Incentives and Obstacles to Developing Certification Guidelines 97 19. Local Labeling for ‘Green’ Jam and Wild Honey Boosts Sales 99 20. Rattan 102 Beyond Timber ix 21. Community Monitoring of NTFPs 103 22. Policy in Support of NTFP Harvesters: The 1999 Chico Mendes Law 105 23. Regulatory Framework Amended for NTFPs – Promoting Community Forest Management and Certification in Brazil 107 24. Legal and Institutional Obstacles to Certification for Mexican Woodcarvers 109 25. A Joint NTFP FSC-Organic Certificate 115 x Beyond Timber List of Abbreviations and Acronyms BOLFOR Sustainable forest management project of Bolivia CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CBMF Brazilian Forest Management Council CENAFLORA National Center for Forest Management Assistance CFV Bolivian Center for Voluntary Forest Certification CIFOR Center for International Forestry Research CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ECOLOG Brazilian certified timber company FASE Federation of Organizations for Social and Educational Assistance FSC Forest Stewardship Council GACP Good agricultural and collection practices GAP Good agricultural practices GFP Global Forest Products GTNA National Agroecology Assistance Group IFOAM International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements IFT Tropical Forest Institute