Exploring the Links Between Forest Stewardship Council Certification and Biodiversity Outcomes at a Global Level
Forests contain just under 58% of all known species globally, with approximately 61% of these found in countries with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified forests. Few studies have directly analyzed the association between biodiversity and certification, often focusing on limited geographical...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| author | Parag Kadam Puneet Dwivedi |
| author_facet | Parag Kadam Puneet Dwivedi |
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| description | Forests contain just under 58% of all known species globally, with approximately 61% of these found in countries with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified forests. Few studies have directly analyzed the association between biodiversity and certification, often focusing on limited geographical or temporal scopes. There is a lack of understanding regarding the socio-political and ecological drivers of FSC certification’s relationship with biodiversity conservation. We assess the associations between country-level characteristics and the relationship between FSC’s forest management (FSC-FM) certification area and independently made biodiversity estimates from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Specifically, using generalized random forests (GRF) and data from 91 countries between 2008 and 2019, we examine the associated factors that govern FSC-FM certifications relationship with percentage threatened species. The results indicate that increasing FSC-FM-certified areas is linked to a reduction in the percentage of threatened species by 0.1 to 0.15. Moreover, FSC-FM certifications show a positive relationship with biodiversity in regions with high population densities and significant tree cover loss. Enhanced perception of corruption control and reduced extraction of non-forestry resources further strengthen this association. These findings provide the FSC with strategic insights to expand FM certification, contributing to biodiversity conservation through sustainable forest management. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5ebe22787c0d425cafce7db0aaad280b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj-art-5ebe22787c0d425cafce7db0aaad280b2025-01-24T13:38:01ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2025-01-0114113010.3390/land14010130Exploring the Links Between Forest Stewardship Council Certification and Biodiversity Outcomes at a Global LevelParag Kadam0Puneet Dwivedi1Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USADepartment of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USAForests contain just under 58% of all known species globally, with approximately 61% of these found in countries with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified forests. Few studies have directly analyzed the association between biodiversity and certification, often focusing on limited geographical or temporal scopes. There is a lack of understanding regarding the socio-political and ecological drivers of FSC certification’s relationship with biodiversity conservation. We assess the associations between country-level characteristics and the relationship between FSC’s forest management (FSC-FM) certification area and independently made biodiversity estimates from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Specifically, using generalized random forests (GRF) and data from 91 countries between 2008 and 2019, we examine the associated factors that govern FSC-FM certifications relationship with percentage threatened species. The results indicate that increasing FSC-FM-certified areas is linked to a reduction in the percentage of threatened species by 0.1 to 0.15. Moreover, FSC-FM certifications show a positive relationship with biodiversity in regions with high population densities and significant tree cover loss. Enhanced perception of corruption control and reduced extraction of non-forestry resources further strengthen this association. These findings provide the FSC with strategic insights to expand FM certification, contributing to biodiversity conservation through sustainable forest management.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/1/130forest certificationForest Stewardship Councilbiodiversityrandom forestconservation |
| spellingShingle | Parag Kadam Puneet Dwivedi Exploring the Links Between Forest Stewardship Council Certification and Biodiversity Outcomes at a Global Level Land forest certification Forest Stewardship Council biodiversity random forest conservation |
| title | Exploring the Links Between Forest Stewardship Council Certification and Biodiversity Outcomes at a Global Level |
| title_full | Exploring the Links Between Forest Stewardship Council Certification and Biodiversity Outcomes at a Global Level |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the Links Between Forest Stewardship Council Certification and Biodiversity Outcomes at a Global Level |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the Links Between Forest Stewardship Council Certification and Biodiversity Outcomes at a Global Level |
| title_short | Exploring the Links Between Forest Stewardship Council Certification and Biodiversity Outcomes at a Global Level |
| title_sort | exploring the links between forest stewardship council certification and biodiversity outcomes at a global level |
| topic | forest certification Forest Stewardship Council biodiversity random forest conservation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/1/130 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT paragkadam exploringthelinksbetweenforeststewardshipcouncilcertificationandbiodiversityoutcomesatagloballevel AT puneetdwivedi exploringthelinksbetweenforeststewardshipcouncilcertificationandbiodiversityoutcomesatagloballevel |