SPECIAL FEATURE
Certification schemes and standards for NWFP
Giulia Corradini and Davide Pettenella
This text was adapted from "Promoting WFP: branding, standards and certification" (G. Corradini and D. Pettenella), chapter of the "COST FP1203 European NWFPs network book", in press.
 NWFP management, trade and use can be promoted through certification[1] [2] [3] [4]. Certification may provide social benefits, strengthening harvesting rights and empowering local actors; economic benefits, by creating additional value, improving market access and increasing transparency; environmental benefits, since it may control harvesting rate and methods, therefore helping in not depleting species. Certification may create virtuous effects among value chain actors and policy makers by laying the foundations of a sustainable management of NWFP[5]. Nevertheless, NWFP certification presents some barriers. NWFPs are more difficult to certify than timber, because they comprise a group of very diverse products, also with wide end uses (food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals components, handcrafts etc.). Factors such as insecure harvesting rights can limit from the beginning the applicability of certification [5]. + READ MORE
Photo credit: ©FAO/Vasily Maksimov
INTERVIEW: Bryony Morgan on the FairWild Standard
“The FairWild Standard is a set of principles and criteria guiding best practice in sustainable harvest and trade of wild plants, fungi and lichen. The framework provided can be used to verify sustainable sourcing practices, including as the basis of a third-party audited certification scheme." + READ MORE
REGIONAL DISPATCHES
Forest certification and the conservation of cork oak woodlands
Miguel N. Bugalho
 Cork oak (Quercus suber) woodlands are typical of the western Mediterranean Basin where they occupy 2.5 million ha distributed throughout southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, France and Italy) and northern Africa (Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco). These are multiple use systems where livestock grazing, big and small game hunting and agricultural crops are common uses but where cork production is the main function.
Cork, the tree bark, is a non-timber forest product harvested every 9 to 12 years without felling the trees. Cork is mainly used as bottle stoppers (over 70% of the production) by the wine industry. Other cork applications include pavements, insulating material or furniture and art objects.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification is a voluntary mechanism under which forest producers and managers agree to comply with socio-economic and environmental forest management standards. Application of standards is third party and independently audited. + READ MORE
Photo credit: ©Miguel N. Bugalho
Forest certification for non-wood forest products and ecotourism - Prospects and practical considerations
Wanggi Jaung, Louis Putzel and Gary Q. Bull
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) forest certification was established in the early 1990s to allow consumers to identify sustainable wood products, in the hopes of supporting more sustainable forest management[1]. Although the FSC system was designed for wood products, there has long been interest in using it to certify ecosystem services generated by better forest management, including production of NWFPs, the capture and storage of atmospheric carbon causing global warming, conservation of wildlife habitats and biodiversity, protection of watersheds and soils, and and ecotourism[2]. Adapting FSC certification to cover ecosystem services is possible because the FSC requires participating forest managers to adhere to a range of environmental, social, and economic standards and safeguards that already at least partly ensure ecosystem service delivery. Expanding FSC certification this way could therefore save some of the costs of developing new certification schemes for all these services. + READ MORE
India: NWFP certification and management: A case study from the Western Ghats, Kerala
Jyotsna Krishnakumar
India's forests, rich in biodiversity, are an abundant source of NFWPs[1]. Increasing commercialization of these resources [2][3] along with poorly evolved forest management strategies [4], has put a strain over these resources. The global demand for NWFPs, particularly medicinal plants are on the increase, and this has implications on the NWFP resources in India. The Ayurvedic industry of India, the largest of the traditional medicine industry, relies largely on medicinal plants (NWFPs) procured from the wild. With the continuing expansion of the herbal and nutraceutical industry [5] [6] [7], the demand on these resources are increasing. This has had consequences, with creased harvest pressure and faster depletion of wild harvested medicinal plants. Beside the biodiversity impacts, the traditional medicine industry is also affected, with adulteration and substitution becoming common phenomena. + READ MORE
Spain: PEFC Certification and wild forest-based products
Araceli Muñoz
The PEFC brand ensures that products comes from sustainably managed forests and informs the consumer that these forest products have been obtained through practices that respect biodiversity, the natural values of the forest, and social and labour guarantees of workers along the production chain, contributing to the maintenance of employment and the establishment of the population in rural areas.
PEFC is developing the project Tastes of Sustainable Forests in order to promote the strong potential of the Spanish forests and to improve the commercialization of the wild food products. The goal of the project is to provide producers with a tool to add value and differentiate their products. On the other hand, consumers have the opportunity to make responsible purchases by choosing PEFC environmentally friendly products beneficial for forests conservation. PEFC brand guarantee a controlled harvesting and the traceability of the products from the forests. + READ MORE
Q&A on FAO's Mountain Partnership product label
Giorgio Grussu & Michelle Geringer
The Mountain Partnership Secretariat, in collaboration with Slow Food, launched a voluntary label for mountain products in September 2016 to promote access to markets for small mountain producers in developing countries and emphasize the uniqueness and sustainability of these products. The Mountain Partnership Product label tells the story of a specific product and highlights what makes it unique, complementing the information that is already included in a typical commercial label.
The Mountain Partnership Products label focuses on mountain goods that support local biodiversity and sustainable production methods that are linked to the cultural traditions of mountain communities. The strong link existing between certain products and the local traditions and cultures constitutes an ideal combination that helps promoting economic growth and improving livelihoods because it triggers the direct and proactive participation of the beneficiaries. + READ MORE
PRODUCT WATCH
Bamboo shoots
 A recent study published in the journal 3 Biotech affirms that, with some 136 species, India is among the richest countries in bamboo resources, “helping mankind in more than 1500 diverse ways”, particularly with regards to food and nutrition. Bamboo shoots are rich in minerals and carbohydrates, proteins, fiber; they are also low in fat and sugar. Although long consumed as part of tribal diets in Northeast India, growing consumers interest in this “health food” makes it a boon for present and future nutritional security, posit the authors. The study goes on to explore the nutraceutical potential of bamboo shoots, among other qualities. + READ MORE
Photo credit: ©Yuya Tamal
LITERATURE
Anacleto, A. et al. 2017. Extractive traditional rural communities from Atlantic rainforest: an approach on families who live in the territory of the environmental Protection Area of Guaratuba in Paraná Coast – Brazil. Revista Espacios, Vol. 38 (No.7).
Broegaard, R.B. et al. 2017. Wild food collection and nutrition under commercial agriculture expansion in agriculture-forest landscapes. Forest Policy and Economics, Vol. 84, pp.92-101.
Delic, S. et al. 2017. Value chain analysis of NWFPs in function of sustainable development of forest resources and rural development in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Agriculture and Forestry, Vol. 63:1, pp. 277-290.
Huber, P. et al. 2017. Application of multi criteria analysis methods for a participatory assessment of non-wood forest products in two European case studies. Forest Policy and Economics. (available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2017.07.003).
Issaka Y.B. 2018. Non-timber Forest Products, Climate Change Resilience, and Poverty Alleviation in Northern Ghana. In: Saito O., Kranjac-Berisavljevic G., Takeuchi K., A. Gyasi E. (eds) Strategies for Building Resilience against Climate and Ecosystem Changes in Sub-Saharan Africa. Science for Sustainable Societies. Springer, Singapore.
Kucuker, D.M. & Baskent, Z.E. 2017. Impact of forest management intensity on mushroom occurrence and yield with a simulation-based decision support system. Forest Ecology and Management, Vol.389, pp.240-248.
Lieskoski, S. 2017. Development of process for analyzing anthocyanin contents in bilberries. (available at: http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2017052610353).
Melnykovych, M. 2018. Socio-ecological innovation in remote mountain areas: Adaptive responses of forest-dependent communities to the challenges of a changing world. Science of the total Environment, Vol.613-614, pp.894-906.
Okan, T., Kose, C. & Wall, J. 2017. Socio-economic perspectives on household chestnut fruit utilization and chestnut blight prevention efforts in Turkey. Sustainability, 9(5), 831. (available at: 10.3390/su9050831).
Prokofieva, I., Gorriz-Mifsud, E. & Bonet, J.A. 2017. Viability of introducing payments for the collection of wild forest mushrooms in Catalonia (North-East Spain). Small-scale forestry, Vol.16( 2), pp. 147-167.
Tato, M.P. et al. 2017. Towards assessment of cork production through National Forest Inventories, Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research. (available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpx036).
Tomao, A. et al. 2017. Is silviculture able to enhance wild forest mushroom resources? Current knowledge and future perspectives. Forest Ecology and Management, Vol.402, pp.102-114.
Soundarapandian, M. & Yamuna, G. 2017. Role of NWFPs in poverty reduction among tribals in Western Ghats of Tamil nadu. Asian Journal for Poverty Studies, Vol 3(1). (available at: https://ejournal.unib.ac.id/index.php/ajps/article/view/2670/1241).
Wahlen, C.B. 2017. Opportunities for making the invisible visible: Towards an improved understanding of the economic contributions of NTFPs. Forest Policy and Economics, Vol.84, pp.11-19.
Wei, D., Ben, M., Bo,S. & Yali, W. 2017. Dependence of the poor on forest resources: evidence from China. Small-scale Forestry, Vol16., 2, pp.1-18.
NEWS
Committee on World Food Security (CFS) stresses role of sustainable forestry - new recommendations endorsed to achieve food security and nutrition for all
The week-long, 44th Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) - Making a Difference in Food Security and Nutrition - endorsed new recommendations on the role of sustainable forestry in achieving food security and nutrition for all. The recommendations centred on the need for an integrated policy approach to forestry, agriculture, water and food security and nutrition by reinforcing cross-sectoral coordination. + READ MORE
Forests, farming and food
At 2,000 meters above sea level, the climate is temperate, soils are fertile, and unlike many parts of the country, there’s plenty of space for people to grow the crops they need to feed their families and make a living. “From an agricultural point of view, you would say that this is a very blessed area,” says agronomist Frédéric Baudron, one of the lead scientists in a new study on forests and dietary diversity from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). + READ MORE
New €45 million iniative seeks to curb unsustainable wildlife hunting, conserve biodiversity and improve food security
10 October 2017 European Commission-funded, FAO-led partnership will help African, Caribbean and Pacific countries regulate wildlife hunting, strengthen the management capacities of rural communities and increase the supply of sustainably produced meat products and farmed fish to meet the growing rural and urban demand for food. + READ MORE
Chips, chocolate and coffee - our food crops face mass extinction too
A “sixth mass extinction” is already under way, scientists are now warning us. But who is writing the eulogy for our food? Huge proportions of the plant and animal species that form the foundation of our food supply – known as agrobiodiversity - are just as endangered and are getting almost no attention. + READ MORE
Wild plants hit the headlines during "FairWild Week"
During the week of 21st – 27th August, FairWild Foundation, in collaboration with TRAFFIC, Pukka Herbs and other members of the FairWild certification scheme, worked to raise awareness among consumers through an online social media campaign. The digital “FairWild Week” event championed the vital need to source wild plants sustainably and highlighted their often-overlooked role as components within increasingly globalised supply chains, as resources for meeting the needs of rural communities, and as ingredients in products we use every day. + READ MORE
Insect balls and burgers go on sale in Switzerland
Edible insects have made their debut on Swiss supermarket shelves. The selection includes burgers and balls made with mealworms. Selling insect products as food became legal in Switzerland on May 1. So far, three species are permitted: mealworms, crickets and grasshoppers. Proponents say in addition to their nutritional value, insects are far more sustainable than other types of meat. + READ MORE
How do you like your wine - with a cork or a screw-cap?
Portugal's cork producers supply more than half the world market from forests of cork oak trees in the south of the country. However, the industry is fighting back. As a result of a tainted cork, cork went from sealing 95% of wine bottles globally in the 1990s, to just 62% in 2009. A new process called "NDTech", is using hi-tech sensor machines to weed out any bad corks. + READ MORE
Articles express the views of their authors, not necessarily those of FAO. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this e-publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the FAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
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