Better social welfare through sustainable land-based production: assessing the potency of jurisdiction certification on the forestry sector

Abstract

Certification and pledge have long been the primary mechanisms to safeguard unsustainable forest exploitations and maintain the social welfare of forest communities by providing better access to the market. However, commodity-based certification and pledges have been criticised for their limited success in safeguarding the social welfare of the forest community. A newly developed certification scheme, the jurisdictional certification approach, offers an alternative to sustainable resources use. It promises a more comprehensive alternative for all stakeholders operating in a given jurisdiction and a more substantial government role. The literature review indicates that although Indonesia’s jurisdictional approach pilot project shows promising results in overcoming traditional certifications’ drawbacks, the actors’ acceptance within commodity chains is limited. The adoption requires intensive collaboration among government, private sectors and civil society. The government is expected to streamline the regulatory process within the jurisdiction, while the private sectors and civil society provide material and human resource supports. This process is reliant upon effective communication among the private sector and the different levels of government.