Spain Advances Forest Certification in Central Africa
José Jiménez García-Herrera, Director General of Natural Environment and Forest Policy of MARM meets with Elie Hakizumwami, Manager of GFTN-Central Africa, to discuss efforts to advance credible certification in Central Africa through implementing public procurement policies that give preference to certified products and promoting international cooperation on these issues.
Demonstrating a strong commitment to supporting forest certification in Central Africa and public procurement policies that give preference to certified products, representatives from WWF’s Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) and Spain’s Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM) gathered at the end of February 2010 to discuss collaborative efforts on advancing responsible forestry in the Congo Basin.
During this meeting, José Jiménez García-Herrera, the Forestry Policy General Director of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, affirmed his commitment to support forest certification in Central Africa. At the same time, he announced a major emphasis on public procurement, which gives a clear preference for certified forest products.
Deep in the heart of the African continent, these forests serve as the world’s second largest tropical rainforest expanse and provide not only an important habitat for elephants and gorillas, but also the indigenous peoples that have lived here for thousands of years. A common thread intertwines the fate of these actors—the continued existence of these valuable and threatened forests.
WWF and its partners are reaching out at all levels to introduce practical ways to conserve the Congo River Basin forests while satisfying Central Africa’s development needs. Collaborative efforts such as the commitment shown by the Spanish government to drive certification in Central Africa through preferential purchasing policies are playing a significant role in conserving the rich biodiversity present in these forests.
Spanish support for the responsible management of tropical forests began in 2006, with a workshop organized in Madrid by WWF, which was supported by the Ministry of Environment and the State Secretary of International Cooperation. Since then, the Spanish Government, through the AECI and the Biodiversity Foundation, has been working with the campaigns launched by WWF, who have managed to significantly increase the volume of African tropical hardwood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
Building upon this history of supporting responsible forestry and trade, Spain is leading, during its Presidency of the European Union (EU), the debate on the development of the rules of legal timber trade in the context of the legal commitments entered into by the EU through the FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade) regulation.
By linking together committed companies in Spain to responsible products in the Congo Basin, the GFTN is helping to advance forest certification in the countries of the Congo Basin while increasing responsible consumption in key markets. To date, the region has achieved FSC certification for 4.7 million hectares of forests in the Congo Basin, a collective area slightly larger than the country of Denmark.
“Through continued collaboration with the Spanish government and committed Spanish companies, we hope to continue driving credible certification in the Congo Basin, which contributes to the conservation of this globally significant region,” said Elie Hakizumwami, Coordinator of GFTN-Central Africa.
José Jiménez García-Herrera, Director General of Natural Environment and Forest Policy of MARM meets with Elie Hakizumwami, Manager of GFTN-Central Africa, to discuss efforts to advance credible certification in Central Africa through implementing public procurement policies that give preference to certified products and promoting international cooperation on these issues.
