As in previous years, the General Assembly once again reminded me of the diversity, commitment and passion of the members, and staff, of the organisation. The topics under discussion included forest conversion, including remedies to address past deforestation, Intact Forest Landscapes, and ecosystem services. To agree on the best way forward on such issues requires compromise, pragmatism and, in some cases, years of discussion.
A key moment was when Motion 37 was passed to make changes to the FSC Principles and Criteria to enable implementation of the Policy to Address Conversion. FSC has restricted conversion of natural forests since it was formally established in 1994. Forest plantations which have been established by converting natural forests after that year have not been eligible for FSC certification if the Organisation was responsible for the conversion. Motion 37 provides a route by which millions of hectares of forests can be restored and then become FSC certified and managed in a responsible manner according to the Principles and Criteria. With this, FSC can become relevant in the restoration space as a tool that provides market incentives to restore deforested and degraded land.
The passing of this motion will also enable FSC to provide a new Remedy Framework for the social and environmental harm caused by conversion, promoting the expansion of forest restoration and social remedy to ultimately address global deforestation.
The cross-chamber support for this motion is testament to the commitment of the members, coming from such varied viewpoints, to find a way forward on this topic.
For many UK Licence Holders, the whole event may seem a million miles away from the day-to-day work of complying with FSC requirements but it is worth taking a look at the overview of motions https://qa-ga.fsc.org/en/public-motions . We will endeavour to keep you informed on motions that may well affect you. For example:
Motion 28: Overcome Value Chain Barriers for small operations by remedying identified problems in the Chain of Custody (CoC) procedures, thereby increasing participation.
Motion 49: FSC Ecosystem Service Procedure as a mitigation mechanism to meet global market demand for net-zero and net-positive targets.
Motion 55: Increase system transparency with regard to organizations and products certified through Chain of Custody group certification.
From a personal perspective, the General Assembly also provided opportunities to engage with UK based members of FSC. It should not require a trip to the other side of the world for this, but after too long on Zoom and Teams, it was a reminder of the importance of the value of those conversations that take place over coffee, dinner, wine, or even, in the case of Bali, a lunchtime swim!
It was a privilege to witness the Assembly in person once again. From the joy of the African delegation as French was formally recognised as an official language of FSC, to the stress of the IT team when the voting temporarily exceeded the WiFi capacity of the venue, it was a week of high emotion but also a week of real achievement and unity. As I look back on the time in Bali, it is with a sense of being part of an organisation that does bring people together with a common desire to ensure we have Forests For All Forever.