The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and Its Contribution to Sustainable Forest Management in Indonesia

Pratiwi Kartika,Cerdikwan Cerdikwan,Hariyadi Hariyadi

doi:10.1007/978-981-15-3473-7_9

Pratiwi Kartika, Cerdikwan Cerdikwan + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3473-7_9

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Publication Date: Jan 1, 2020
Citations: 2	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: House of Representatives

Abstract

Indonesia has an enormous size of tropical forest and faces numerous problems in its management. Since government regulations and intergovernmental mechanisms are not found to be the effective solutions for such problems, voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) have been introduced as an alternative solution. This chapter examines the role of one such VSS—the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)—in Indonesia. In particular, it attempts to answer two questions. First, does the PEFC complement or substitute government regulations and other VSS under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)? Second, what is the role envisioned for the PEFC in creating sustainable forest management in Indonesia? Interviews with stakeholders and an analysis of the documents of PEFC, FSC, and government regulations called Sustainable Forest Production Management (PHPL) suggest that PEFC seems to complement government regulations but substitute FSC. Although the PEFC is likely to be widely applied in the country, it is unlikely to emerge as an effective tool to achieve sustainable forest management. Of the two main reasons for this, the first is the lack of support from government and civil society. While the government clearly prioritizes the standard developed by it—the Indonesian Ecolabelling Institute (LEI)—within the civil society, several NGOs are not supportive of voluntary certification. Second, the absence of global and national legitimacy weakens the enforcement role of PEFC.

Highlights

Indonesia has an extensive tropical forest, which accounts for almost half of its land
This study investigated whether Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) as a relatively new forest certification system in Indonesia substitutes or complements the existing forest certification systems, which mainly are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and government regulations
This study aimed to predict whether concession holders are likely to be further attracted to obtain PEFC certification

Summary

Introduction

Indonesia has an extensive tropical forest, which accounts for almost half of its land. This signifies plentiful resources and numerous problems such as forest fires, deforestation and illegal logging. Effort was taken at the international level, with the international community offering an internationallyrecognized, private certification to companies practicing sustainable forest management (SFM). Since the effort is initiated by a private agent, this certification is voluntary. In forest management, so far, there have been two internationally-recognized voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) which can be obtained by any forest concession holder in Indonesia—Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)

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Discussion

Conclusion