Are Market-Based Forest Conservation Initiatives Effective? Forest Stewardship Council Certification and High Conservation Value Surveys in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Abstract

This paper explores whether market-based certification programs improve sustainable forestry management in producing countries of forestry products, and if not, what prevents such programs from succeeding. The authors present examples of surveys conducted by a third party to identify High Conservation Values as part of the Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC) certification requirements in the province of East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Based on the presented evidence, the authors argue that timber certification programs present opportunities for investing companies to improve their environmental and social impact standards. However, because it is voluntary, FSC certification does not fundamentally address official state development policies that prioritize development goals over conservation, societal, and human rights, nor does it reflect changes in the business model embedded in the state’s authority to issue concession rights without obtaining the local population’s consensus. Hence, the criticism that regulations serve only to increase companies’ ability to exploit natural resources and do not lead to truly democratic forest management still applies.