WWF members observe one of the trees that will be extracted under the 2005 Forest Management Plan in the communities of Uyacali in the Peruvian Amazon.
Photo © Sebastián Suito

Peru will certify forests managed by indigenous people

The forests that will be certified in this South American nation encompass 35,000 hectares

Ucayali, Peru, 18 June 2005- In Peru, 35,000 hectares of forest belonging to five native communities of the Shipibo-Konibo ethnic group in Ucayali in the Peruvian Amazon will be certified.

The certification document will be made public in the last week of July. This process is going to ensure responsible legal management of the forest resources.

For the last five years, the Association for Integral Research and Development (Asociación para la Investigación y el Desarrollo Integral - AIDER), with financial support from the Royal Embassy of the Netherlands, has been working with the indigenous communities on sustainable forest management.

“Having Forest Management Plans prepared with the committed participation of the indigenous peoples and approved by the National Natural Resource Institute have allowed us to access processes that will give us the first certified forests in Peru in short order,” said AIDER Director Jaime Nalvarte.

WWF-Peru, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), provided technical support to AIDER to obtain forestry certification together with the indigenous communities.
Each one of the activities to be carried out related to forest management and trade requires an Environmental Impact Assessment in order to avoid damage to other plant and animal species in the region of the extraction.
Photo © Sebastián Suito

Thanks to certification, forest management and extraction processes will be carried out under strict standards that promote environmental, social and economic quality.

“One of the first benefits the communities that have been working with AIDER and other companies will receive when they obtain certification for their forests or their industries will be involvement in the Global Forest Trade Network. There they will be able to make contact with international companies that seek certified wood,” assured WWF-Peru economist Raúl Dancé, who coordinates the network’s actions in this country.

Germany, Brazil, Canada, Spain, the United States, France, Sweden and Central America have groups that form part of the Global Forest Trade Network (GFTN). Currently, more than 650 companies are members of this network that have committed to producing and acquiring products from certified forests.

Notes for editors

  1. The indigenous communities are located in the districts of Callería (Indigenous Community of Callería), Masisea (Charashmaná Preferred Community), and Iparía (Curiaca de Caco, Pueblo Nuevo de Caco and Puerto Belén Communities).

For more information: Raúl Dancé, Business, Markets and Forest Certification Officer, WWF-Peru, tel: +511 4405550, e-mail: raul@wwfperu.org.pe
Advice from the WWF-Peru technicians is extremely important for the success of the forestry companies in this South American nation.
Photo © Sebastián Suito
Volver