Sustainable Forest Management
Forests in South America and the Caribbean represent 1/4th to 1/3rd of the world forest cover, with Suriname and Guyana contributing to over 3% of the region's forest. The forest cover of Suriname and Guyana constitutes a very important natural economic asset for these 2 countries.
The Guianas Sustainable Forest Resources Management Project seeks to ensure that the forest ecosystems of the Guianas maintain their capacity to sustain their socio-economic services and benefits, their ability to provide and support their ecological functions and processes, and their possibility to adapt to changes. It is an integral component of the WWF Guianas Program.
Sustainable forest management (SFM) is one of the 4 components of this project. Under this component WWF Guianas fosters the sound management of the forestry sector that has social benefits and takes environmental issues into consideration. This we achieve through the development, adoption and implementation of national management standards approved by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), in order to support the region's economical development.
In order to safeguard forest ecosystems, mechanisms must be put in place to regulate, monitor, and manage the exploitation of economically valuable forest species. Consequently, WWF Guianas supports sustainable forest management through training, increasing of awareness of forest operators, providing assistance to government agencies, national and international NGOs, and promoting sustainable forest management techniques.
WWF Guianas also supports the voluntary initiatives of private companies willing to run their forest operations according to standards and criteria approved by FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). Forest Certification is a tool to guarantee that the products derived from forests, which are well managed taking into account environmental, social, and economic principles and criteria.
In the two countries, forest resources have historically provided raw materials for construction, jobs and income for residents of the interior, as well as some foreign exchange earnings. Traditionally, forestry activities have been limited to the "forest belts" south of the coastal plain, based on road or navigable river access.
Expansion of the road system in Suriname and Guyana has made large new areas accessible. Environmental and forest policy formulation in both countries has advanced significantly over the past few years, however, broad based stakeholder participation, transparent discussions of the issues, and implementation of transparent procedures have been limited. WWF Guianas supports these processes, because they are key to the sustainable management of the forest resources.
