Balkan regional conference on sustainable forest management and private forest owners

25 July 2012 Collaboration Fund

Approaches for expanding forest certification in the western Balkans and making it more accessible to small private landowners was the focus of a recent conference in Banja Luka, Bosnia Herzegovina.  

Convened by Eko Zona – Sipovo, an environmental NGO working in the region, Certification of Western Balkans - choice for sustainable forest management’brought together representatives from Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“It’s clear that the region possesses much potential to expand the forest area under certification.   In addition to the natural resources and the market demands, the conference exemplified the expertise and passion amongst regional stakeholders truly committed to improving forest management,” commented Sarah Price, Head of Projects & Development at PEFC International and one of the co-sponsors to the event.

The event encouraged stakeholders to exchange information on the state of the forest sector in their respective countries, discuss private forest ownership issues and opportunities, and share experiences on pursuing forest certification.  Of particular interest was the process of developing national certification schemes as required by PEFC, and whether PEFC’s ‘bottom-up’ approach is an appropriate fit for countries in the Balkans region.

“Today, PEFC forest management certification is still absent from the Balkans region, but we are hoping to change that,” commented Ms. Price.  “PEFC is in the process of launching a number of projects and initiatives to work with and support local partners in the region. The event was a great opportunity to share international perspectives but also learn what the priority issues are for stakeholders.”

The one-day event was held at Administrative Centre of the Government of the Republic of Srpska, with the support of PEFC International, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Srpska and USAID/SIDA Firma Project.  International representatives from Confederation of Private Forest Owners (CEPF) and Regional Office of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United National (FAO) also participated.

The conference was the culminating event for a PEFC Collaboration Fund project implemented in Bosnia Herzegovina which has been focused on building awareness of PEFC and making preparations towards the development of a national forest certification scheme in the country. A further PEFC Collaboration Fund grant has been awarded to a new project which aims to establish certification schemes and certified forest area in Montenegro and Bosnia Herzegovina.