Publication: “Trading of timber products from community forest enterprises”
Rio de Janeiro, 15 March 2018 – Today, BVRio and Imaflora published, with support of the Brazilian Forest Code Observatory, the study “Trading of timber products from community forest enterprises: diagnosis, options and recommendations for the sector.“ This study presents a survey of the current situation of community forest management in Brazil in order to identify barriers and opportunities for the sector to grow.
Community forest management (MFC) in Brazil has the potential to exploit up to 46 million hectares in the Amazon Biome. Only in National and State Forests of the Amazon, which together occupy an area of more than 28 million hectares, it is estimated that the production of logs from sustainable management plans can generate between R$ 1.2 to R$ 2.2 billion per year. However, MFC’s contribution to the timber sector is far below its potential and it faces barriers currently difficult to overcome. There is a pressing need to provide training for communities involved in MFC to overcome the barriers raised, thereby promoting the legality of the sector and compliance with the Brazilian Forest Code.
Community Forest Management (MFC)
The Brazilian Land Statute defined the concept of “community manager” as one that promotes sustainable forest management in rural property, collective or otherwise, with an ideal fraction or individual area smaller than 4 inspection units, using the family’s own labor force, directing their facility or enterprise with their family, unless the family workforce or the group of beneficiaries is not numerically sufficient or technically able to meet the demand of the work, then it may be possible to use the help of third parties.
About Imaflora
The Institute of Agricultural and Forest Management and Certification – Imaflora– is a civil non-profit association, founded in Piracicaba, in the interior of São Paulo, in 1995. Born under the premise that the best way to conserve tropical forests is to give them an economic destination, combined with good management practices and responsible management of natural resources. From this perspective, Imaflora believes that environmental certification is one of the tools that respond to part of the challenge with strong inducer power of local sustainable development in the forestry and agricultural sectors.
About Forest Code Observatory (OCF)
Created in May 2013, by 7 NGOs and nowadays with 28 members of civil society, the Observatory aims to monitor the implementation of the new Forest Law in the whole country, in an attempt to mitigate the negative aspects of the new Code and prevent further setbacks. Besides generating data, information, and analyses, promoting transparency and increasing the potential for informed debates about the new Forest Code within the society, the Observatory’s tries to gather and spread information about the environmental regularization of rural properties in Brazil.
