PRINCIPLE 9:MAINTENANCE OF HIGH CONSERVATION VALUE FORESTS
Management activities in high conservation value forests shall maintain or enhance the attributes, which define such forests.Decisions regarding high conservation value forests shall always be considered in the context of a precautionary approach.
NTFP management may contribute to the maintenance of high conservation value forests (HCVF).FSC definitions require consultation to determine the status of HCVFs, including social consultations.Current definitions allow forests to be considered HCVFs if they provide basic needs for local communities, either for
subsistence use or for maintenance of cultural identity.In such cases, NTFPs may play a large role in determining if forests are to be considered HCVFs from a social perspective.
9.1 Assessment to determine the presence of the attributes consistent with High Conservation Value Forests will be completed, appropriate to scale and intensity of forest management.
Consultations to determine the status of a HCVF specifically include NTFPs as an element of the social analysis section covering forest importance to local communities (as per definition “d” of HCVF provided by FSC).
9.2 The consultative portion of the certification process must place emphasis on the identified conservation attributes, and options for the maintenance thereof.
9.3 The management plan shall include and implement specific measures that ensure the maintenance and/or enhancement of the applicable conservation attributes consistent with the precautionary approach. These measures shall be specifically included in the publicly available management plan summary.
9.4 Annual monitoring shall be conducted to assess the effectiveness of the measures employed to maintain or enhance the applicable conservation attributes.