Project title

Validation of a proposal for a FSC Continuous Improvement Scheme for smallholder and community certification in Latin America.

Code

Not applicable

Type

Participatory workshop

Start date

February 2018

End date

February 2019

Organizational process assets
Purpose of the project

To collect ideas and inputs to propose recommendations for FSC on how to integrate and implement ‘continuous improvement’ concept in the FSC normative system. The compilation of ideas will focus on:

  • Definition of small forest owners and communities.
  • Analysis of FSC Criteria and definition of critical and continuous improvement criteria.
  • Discuss proposals for a timeline and the stages of a Continuous Improvement concept.
Strategic alignment

At the 2017 General Assembly in Vancouver, Canada, the membership approved Motion 46 that recommended the New Approaches project to conduct several pilot projects in selected countries, to assess the feasibility of different approaches that can improve uptake and maintenance of certification by small forest owners and communities.

Technical working group

No technical working group will be formed. The consultation process will be carried out in 7 countries with the existing national Standards Development Groups, and in Central America with the sub-regional Standard Development Group, which includes 4 countries: Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

Additionally, in each country, a smallholder group or community was chosen for a second participatory workshop.

Timeline

November 2019
The proposal for developing a Continuous Improvement procedure was presented to PSC in September and the positive recommendation was formally approved by FSC Board of Directors in November
October 2019
Incorporating past learnings from Community Certification Tool (Motion 2014:83) into FSC Continuous Improvement concept
April 2019
Public consultation on proposal for Continuous Improvement concept in Latin America
January 2019
Preliminary findings on Continuous Improvement series of workshops
November 2018
Participatory workshops held in Brazil, with the SDG in Curitiba and with the smallholders in Telemaco Borba
November 2018
Participatory workshops held in Bolivia, with the SDG in Santa Cruz and with the members of several communities in Concepción
September 2018
Participatory workshops held in Quito, Ecuador, with the SDG
July 2018
Participatory workshops held in Perú, with the SDG in Lima and with the smallholders in Junajui, Tarapoto
April 2018
Participatory workshops held in Guatemala City, Guatemala, with the regional SDG
April 2018
Participatory workshops held in Concepción, Chile, both with the SDG and with the smallholders
March 2018
Participatory workshops held in México, with the SDG in México DF and with the smallholders in Oaxaca
February 2018
Participatory workshops held in Honduras, with the Standard Development Group (SDG) in La Ceiba and with the smallholders in Yoro.
February 2018
Concept note and work plan approved during FSC Latin America Network meeting
November 2017
Public consultation on a discussion paper titled ‘Reaching smallhoders in the global South: Two stepwise approaches towards FSC certification’