PEFC International Advocates for Sustainable Tropical Forest Management at GLSTF 2024

18 September 2024 Event report

“The sustainable management of tropical forest contributes significantly to safeguarding forests, protecting biodiversity, contributing to rural communities and sustainable livelihoods”, said Thorsten Arndt, Head of Advocacy at PEFC International at the Global Legal & Sustainable Timber Forum (GLSTF) 2024 in Macao SAR last week.

“Yet we are facing a dichotomy. While we are all well aware of the tremendous benefits that sustainable forest management provides, topical timber has grappled with numerous challenges as it has struggled to maintain its stake in the international timber markets, especially in terms of public perception”, he remarked in his opening speech of the first session, Together Towards Reliable and Effective Global Timber Supply Chains.

Jointly hosted by the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) of the Macao Special Administrative Region and the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), and organised by the Secretariat of the Global Green Supply Chains Initiative (GGSC), GLSTF 2024 brought together more than 700 key enterprises, policymakers and international experts from over 40 countries and regions to explore the way forward for high-quality green development in the global timber industry.

One of the major achievements of the Forum was the launch of the Action Framework for Promoting Legal and Sustainable Timber Supply Chains, which aims to strengthen international collaboration among stakeholders in timber supply chains, promote the sustainable development of the timber industry, and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals and combating climate change.

“PEFC certification is an important tool to help achieve the objectives of the Framework. Through PAFC Congo Basin, we offer a robust and well-respected forest certification standard that was developed by local stakeholders and is regionally adapted and tailored to the specific forest ecosystems, legal and administrative framework, socio-cultural context of Congo Basin countries, specifically Cameroon, Gabon and the Republic of Congo,” remarked Thorsten as a panellist of the Specialized Sub-forum 4 Green Finance and Innovative Facilitating Measures for Green Supply Chains.

“While we are facing a dichotomy, we can resolve it ourselves. We don’t need a white knight in shining armour or a pink unicorn. If those present here – governments, international organisations, businesses and forest owners - collaborate to manage their forests sustainably, they can demonstrate the benefits tropical forests provide through tools such as PEFC.”