 |
|
|
|
Because more than six billion people rely on trees and plants to build houses, produce paper, make furniture and stay warm, the pressures on the world's forests are staggering. With the global population expected to increase by another 1.5 billion over the next twenty years, the need to responsibly manage our forests is critical to the survival of all living species. The Rainforest Alliance works to help reconcile our growing demand for trees and other forest flora with a diminishing supply by encouraging better on-the-ground practices.
In more than 50 countries around the world, we are helping businesses, governments and communities change their land-use practices and set standards for the long-term use of resources and the conservation of the planet's great wealth of biodiversity. Central to our efforts is the implementation of better forestry practices, verified by independent third-party certification, training and education and fostering markets for sustainably harvested forest products. The Rainforest Alliance endorses Forest Stewardship Council certification, which assures consumers that the wood products they purchase come from forests managed to conserve biodiversity and support local communities, while constantly striving toward more sustainable practices.
The Rainforest Alliance's certification program, SmartWood, was founded in 1989 to certify responsible forestry practices and now focuses on providing a variety of certification tools. To improve certification's effectiveness as a tool for biodiversity conservation and economic support for local communities, the Rainforest Alliance also established the Training, Research, Extension, Education and Systems program. In addition, the Rainforest Alliance works to strengthen supply chains and build market linkages for certified wood and forest products, by helping companies incorporate sustainability into their sourcing strategies.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
