Promote sustainable consumption
buy certified products
05
Communities Forest economies are very much depending on the sales of all the commodities products those forests can provide. Our primary goal is to make sure those commodities are harvested sustainably (meaning they harvest less than what the forests naturally generate) and respect the biodiversity balance.
The use of products sourced from sustainable forest management models contributes to improving the living conditions of the populations and thus motivates them to maintain an economic model based on the principle of sustainability.
Timber products
The rainforest communities' timber products challenge
Below are the main obstacles that have been identified by the forest communities to properly market their timber products:
-
Low capacity to deliver the volume and quality standard the market request.
-
Lack of logistic and structure to have access to market.
-
Missing appropriate product mix to optimise their output.
-
Short working capital.
-
No economy of scale to be in line with market prices
For above reasons, Forest Pact connects the Forest Communities willing to implement Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) practices to larger organisations already engaged in SFM operations in order they can take advantage of their experience and use their infrastructure (logistic, back office, network…) to facilitate their access to market.
Timber species challenge
In regards of our commitment to protect forest biodiversity, it is our responsibility to avoid the over exploitation of the most demanded species and promote the lesser known timber species (LKTS) that makes responsible forest management sustainable on long term.
By sustainable model, we mean an economic model that takes less than what nature generates but which also respects the biodiversity balance of these forests. As economic interest often taking precedence over environmental interests, many communities or forest owner will prefer to go for a more profitable use of these lands. If we wish to fight against the overexploitation of a limited number of species (often a source of trafficking) and/or avoid, as we have seen massively in different places, the conversion of these natural forests into plantation of fast growing species under the pretext that they are more profitable and easier to manage, we must learn to value and treat all the species which constitute the balance of the original forests in order to ensure their existence on the long term.
This is one of the Communities Forest Pact initiative main challenge and we are proud that together with our partners, we give access to more than 100 certified timber species that can make the difference for the forests biodiversity balance on the long term.
Non-timber forest products
Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are any product or service other than timber that is produced in forests. They include fruits and nuts, vegetables, fish and game, medicinal plants, resins, essences and a range of barks and fibres such as bamboo, rattans, and a host of other palms and grasses.
The roll of NFTPs is important for job creation but also for being a relevant part of the economy for the whole community, in the meantime the society receives goods to compile their needs.
