26.04.2024
On Wednesday 10 April 2024, the renowned international scientific journal "Nature" published an article confirming that tropical forests managed by FSC-certified companies are home to more large mammals than non-FSC forests. An article that seems to have had an echo, as it was relayed by Libération.
The three-year study by Joeri Zwerts of Utrecht University and his team, with support from WWF and WCS, analysed and compared 1.3 million photos collected by almost 500 trap cameras in 14 forest concessions (seven non-certified forests and seven FSC-certified forests) in Gabon and the Republic of Congo.
The study found that 2.7 times more critically endangered mammals, such as gorillas and elephants, were observed in FSC-certified forests. This result underlines the effectiveness of the measures implemented in certified forest concessions to protect biodiversity.
This is a fine endorsement for FSC-certified forestry companies in the Congo Basin, proving once again the importance of certification for biodiversity, and an important reminder that sustainable management continues to be an effective tool in tropical forests, and that its standards translate into tangible impacts.
This study reinforces the idea of maintaining sustainable management certification among foresters by all possible means, and biodiversity certificates could be the solution thanks to this type of result in particular.
