New natural forests standard in the pipeline
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Southern Africa has registered a process to develop a new Forest Stewardship Standard (FSS) for natural forests in South Africa by year end.
Currently, there is no FSS specifically designed for natural forests based on FSC's Principles and Criteria version 5. The existing standard, developed by SGS, a global certification body accredited by FSC for Forest Management certification, is based on version 4 and will expire on December 31, 2025.
FSC is working on a Standard for natural forests
The new FSS will ensure the continued certification of about 500,000 hectares of natural forest in South Africa. It will also support the development of Verified Ecosystem Services Impact for forests managed by national and provincial conservation agencies.
The standard development group developing the new FSS comprises three chambers representing social, environmental, and economic interests. Decisions will be made by consensus, ensuring a balanced and inclusive stakeholder approach.
