30 Years of Tropical Natural Forests and FSC Certification: What We've Learned and Where We Go Next

FSC’s roots lie in the belief that responsible forest management, particularly in tropical regions, can serve both people and nature. Over the past 30 years, FSC certification has helped promote sustainable forest management (SFM) in tropical natural forests across Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Yet, SFM remains widely misunderstood and is often misrepresented or conflated with deforestation. The certification of tropical forests has also faced technical, economic, and reputational challenges.
This session will revisit three decades of field experience to explore how FSC can stay relevant in tropical forest regions by adapting to evolving ecological, social, and market dynamics. It will feature perspectives from forest managers, researchers, environmental experts, and civil society — particularly from the Global South. The discussion will also identify key areas for improvement and link the conversation to broader strategies such as landscape approaches and FSC motions addressing tropical realities, including Motion 23 on Intact Forest Landscapes.