CONSERVATION: Sustainable Forestry Development and Initiatives

By Hugh McInnes

The Rainforest Alliance Project was founded to promote sustainable forest development and to help protect the world's vital yet diminishing rainforests.

Established more than 20 years ago, the Rainforest Alliance is present in more than 60 countries in which it helps organisations and companies learn and adopt new strategies in the utilisation of forest resources.

The project helped develop the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) that provides certification for companies who follow sustainable development standards. Certified groups receive the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal, which ensures consumers that products come from legal sources that minimise negative impacts on the world's rainforests. More than 1,600 partners are certified using standards set by the FSC.

The Rainforest Alliance Project works because of the group's extensive and global knowledge and experience working with all forest types. Guided by a team of experts that include local people who know the ground situation in their region, the project is able to assess each situation independently and competently.

Each case is analysed to ensure that forest products were harvested using sustainable methods, and that they do not originate from illegal sources or trading. If it finds that a company's forest products are coming from illegal sources, they can help in connecting the company find new suppliers that meet FSC standards. The project works with both companies and suppliers providing preparation and support in acquiring FSC certification.

The organisation takes pride in its transparent approach and its reputation is well established. The project will help partner companies and organisation communicate their support of sustainable forestry development through use of press releases, promotional materials and other public communications. Through association with the Rainforest Alliance, companies and organisations will benefit from the goodwill generated by their efforts to protect the environment.

Also, through invitation-only workshops, training courses and other networking opportunities, partner companies and organisations will have many opportunities to interact with other groups interested in sustainable forestry development.

By working with companies and suppliers, the project's experts have helped in developing models for the sustainable management of crops like bananas, coffee and tea. They have also helped develop standards for sustainable tourism in rainforest areas that protect the local environment and help reduce emission of greenhouse gases. Farms that follow the standards of the project are included in the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) with members located across the globe.

The Rainforest Alliance is a leader in the work of protecting the world's rainforests, and companies and suppliers will benefit by utilising their knowledge, experience and reputation through partnership and FSC certification. The organisation has been working since 1987 in its efforts to conserve the world's biodiversity and to promote business and land use practices that help in meeting this goal.

This article is written by Hugh McInnes, about the sustainable forestry developments by the Rainforest Alliance organisation in order to protect our rainforest from depletion.

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