FSC reflected in scientific and professional literature
FSC reflected in scientific and professional literature
FSC reflected in scientific and professional literature
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Forest Stewardship Council<br />
1.4 Measur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>FSC</strong>’s impact<br />
Ruth Nussbaum <strong>and</strong> Markku Simula (2004) 29 note:<br />
“There is no question that certification has had a range of impacts on forests <strong>and</strong> the forest<br />
products sector. Most people work<strong>in</strong>g with forestry could easily list a number of areas<br />
where certification has had an impact on the management of a particular forest, a group of<br />
forest-dependent people or a particular forest products market. (…) The current evidence<br />
on the impacts of certification can ma<strong>in</strong>ly be derived from <strong>in</strong>dividual case studies on certified<br />
forest management units <strong>and</strong> countries where they are found or where national processes<br />
to develop certification st<strong>and</strong>ards <strong>and</strong> processes have been active. This evidence,<br />
supported by expert op<strong>in</strong>ions, suggests that, by <strong>and</strong> large, the impacts have been positive<br />
<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> many cases significant.”<br />
However, such assessments, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the one carried out <strong>in</strong> this paper, are based on secondary<br />
<strong>in</strong>formation which is not consistent <strong>and</strong> often compiled for other uses than impact assessment.<br />
To demonstrate <strong>and</strong>/or to measure the impact of <strong>FSC</strong> certification on forest management,<br />
we have to clarify some terms:<br />
1.4.1 What are impacts, what are outcomes?<br />
Impacts are def<strong>in</strong>ed by Blankenburg (1995) 30 as<br />
"...long-term <strong>and</strong> susta<strong>in</strong>able changes <strong>in</strong>troduced by a given <strong>in</strong>tervention <strong>in</strong> the lives of beneficiaries.<br />
Impact can be related either to the specific objectives of an <strong>in</strong>tervention or to<br />
unanticipated changes caused by an <strong>in</strong>tervention; such unanticipated changes may also<br />
occur <strong>in</strong> the lives of people not belong<strong>in</strong>g to the beneficiary group. Impact can be either<br />
positive or negative."<br />
“<strong>FSC</strong>’s Impact” is therefore any change result<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>FSC</strong> related activities, or <strong>FSC</strong> projects<br />
(conducted by <strong>FSC</strong> IC, National Initiatives, <strong>FSC</strong> partner organizations or those organizations<br />
us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>FSC</strong> as a tool to implement their management goals). This can <strong>in</strong>clude <strong>in</strong>tended as well<br />
as un<strong>in</strong>tended effects, negative as well as positive, <strong>and</strong> long-term as well as short-term impacts.<br />
29 Nussbaum, Ruth & Simula, Markku (2004): Forest Certification. A Review of Impacts <strong>and</strong> Assessment Frameworks.<br />
Research Paper September 2004 A TFD Publication. The Forests Dialogue. Yale University School of Forestry<br />
& Environmental Studies. http://www.theforestsdialogue.org (as of July 2008)<br />
30 Blankenburg, F. (1995): Methods of Impact Assessment Research Programme: Resource pack <strong>and</strong> discussion.<br />
The Hague: Oxfam UK/I <strong>and</strong> Novib<br />
20 of 245<br />
® <strong>FSC</strong>, A.C. All rights reserved. <strong>FSC</strong>-SECR-0002