Overview

After the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio failed to produce an agreement to stop deforestation, a committed group of environmentalists, businesses, and community leaders joined to create a revolutionary market-based approach to improve forestry practices worldwide. That was the seed of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), founded in 1993 as a voluntary certification for sustainable forestry, promoting environmentally sound, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests. Nowadays, FSC has the most extensive certified supply chain network, enabling connections between markets and sustainable forestry – including over 200 million hectares of forest managed according to FSC standards. FSC’s high standards and credibility have helped the system grow as solidly as an oak trunk. At the same time, new solutions continue to arise over the years to address incoming challenges, playing a crucial role in biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation while ensuring healthy and resilient forests for all, forever. This page covers what is happening in Southern Africa.