Advice Note on protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation

FSC has published the Advice Note for Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and in Initial Contact (IPVIIC) in Peru. A public consultation on the Advice Note was held from 12 September to 12 October 2025. The Advice Note will be effective from 11 March 2026. It applies to any person or entity applying for or holding FSC Forest Management Certification in Peru when operating in or near areas connected to IPVIIC. You can access the Advice Note on page 51 of the FSC Directive on Forest Management Evaluations.

The Advice Note provides direction for certification in situations where the current Peruvian Forest Stewardship Standard does not offer sufficient guidance. It addresses the ongoing conflicts in areas where certified concessions overlap with traditional IPVIIC territories and is based on the results of an investigation commissioned by FSC and conducted by Assurance Services International.

Certified forestry concessions will no longer be allowed to have any overlap with Indigenous Reserves, nor to exert any forest management activities in areas that are in the process of being established as such reserves. The Advice Note further specifies comprehensive precautionary measures for forestry concessions in the direct neighbourhood of Indigenous Reserves.
More information about the public consultation and inputs received is available in the Consultation Report.