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The European Green Deal is the European Commission’s strategy aimed at tackling climate and environmental-related challenges. It sets out a variety of policy initiatives with the overarching aim of making the EU climate neutral by 2050.
FSC, together with an advisory group of members, has committed a study 'Forestry Intensification for Shared Value' to identify if and when we can consider intensified forestry as sustainable. Coming from this work, we found that implementing shared values can make intensification sustainable if shared value is considered at the landscape level, not just at the management unit level.
Shared values are the positive result of (intensified) forestry, such as in plantations, which are commonly recognized amongst the different stakeholder groups (social, environmental and economic) across the wider landscape.
Intact forest landscapes (IFLs) are defined as “a territory within today's global extent of forest cover which contains forest and non-forest ecosystems minimally influenced by human economic activity, with an area of at least 500 km² (50,000 ha) and a minimal width of 10 km (measured as the diameter of a circle that is entirely inscribed within the boundaries of the territory)" (Source: intactforests.org; FSC-STD-01-002)
In FSC's Core Principles, Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) are recognized as High Conservation Value areas. FSC aims to sustainably manage IFLs within certified areas, contributing to their protection. Discussions on achieving this have been ongoing for at least 10 years, evolving to seek solutions that consider the broader landscape.