13 Aug 2007 - This statement
is to clarify WWF’s position and involvement
regarding the Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) certificate issued by SmartWood to
Forestal Venao in Peru.
The Facts
Forestal Venao is a Peruvian logging company
operating in the Yurua region of the Peruvian
Amazon, close to the border with Brazil.
It was issued a FSC certification by SmartWood
in April 2007. SmartWood is an independent
certification body accredited by the FSC
to conduct assessments according to FSC
standards.
Forest certification is a system of forest
inspection, plus a means of tracking timber
and paper through a "chain of custody"
– following the raw material through to
the finished product. This is all to ensure
that the products have come from forests
which are well managed and take into account
environmental, social and economic principles
and criteria. The certification process
involves qualified forest management experts
making an independent assessment of the
particular forest to see if it is managed
according to the agreed principles and criteria.
WWF never provided any assistance whatsoever
to Forestal Venao for the certification
of its operations in the Sawawo and Nueva
Shahuaya communities in the Peruvian Amazon.
WWF, through its Global Forest & Trade
Network, did however conduct its own evaluation
in October 2005 to assess the readiness
of Forestal Venao to meet the stringent
requirements of the FSC standards, and to
identify any improvements needed to achieve
FSC certification.
Based on this evaluation, especially of
the concerns raised about Forestal Venao's
operations in these two communities, WWF
decided not to support the company. WWF
made these concerns known to Forestal Venao,
SmartWood and other stakeholders via several
public fora leading up to, during and following
the assessment conducted by Smartwood. In
recent weeks, serious allegations of illegal
logging and other non-conformities to the
FSC standards have been raised about Forestal
Venao operations in Peru and abroad and
is now the subject of official inquiries
by the relevant authorities on both sides
of the Peru-Brazil border.**
SmartWood and FSC have announced that they
will conduct a joint monitoring visit to
assess these allegations during the week
of 24 August 2007.
WWF’s position:
• WWF believes that forest certification
is a valuable tool to promote both sustainable
forest management and the fair, legal and
responsible trade of forest products. Forest
certification thereby provides a credible
and transparent way of assuring consumers,
the forest industry, investors and other
stakeholders that the products from certified
forests come from forests managed according
to high environmental, social and economic
standards.
• WWF shares the public concern about Forestal
Venao´s operations and believes that
this situation seriously threatens the integrity
of the certification process in Peru and
beyond, as well as the integrity of the
particular entities involved.
• WWF urges both the certification body,
SmartWood, and its accreditor, FSC, to exercise
their utmost due-diligence in the planned
evaluation in the week of August 24, 2007,
and to meaningfully engage with the relevant
stakeholders on both sides of the Peru -
Brazil border.
• WWF supports the due process of assessing
these allegations within the FSC system.
** See also the following for more:
http://www.amazonia.org.br/;
http://www.larepublica.com.pe/content/view/168259/483/;
http://www.larepublica.com.pe/content/view/168096/483/;
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2m9sj_capturan-a-taladorespucallpa_news
Gisella Valdivia, WWF-Peru
