7 April 2014: The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has released a paper on the social benefits of forest certification in the Congo Basin. The publication examines certified forest management units (FMUs) in Cameroon, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo and concludes that certification leads to improved working and living conditions.

The paper, titled ‘Social Impacts of the Forest Stewardship Council Certification – An assessment in the Congo Basin,’ notes that, compared to non-certified FMUs, certified forests tend to deliver better conditions for employees, maintain improved relationships with communities around the logging area, and respect, to a greater degree, the rights of local and indigenous peoples.

Specific social benefits identified in the paper include: access to basic services such as clean water, health facilities, waste collection and treatment, and electricity. Certified FMUs also registered better housing facilities and improved health and safety conditions for workers. Finally, certified FMUs had stronger and more socially acceptable institutions for conflict resolution and benefit sharing and, as such, maintained more positive relationships with other forest users.

Overall, the paper attributes improved social benefits to the implementation schedule and review and evaluation process required for certification noting that, in some cases, logging companies took on an enforcement role where national regulations were weak or poorly enforced.

The study looked at nine FMUs certified under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). CIFOR is a member of the CGIAR. [CIFOR Press Release] [Publication: Social Impacts of the Forest Stewardship Council Certification: An Assessment in the Congo Basin]