Forest certification and sustainable development of rural areas and the environment in China

Key words: 
• forest certification /
• non-timber forest product(NTFP) /
• environmental impact assessment /
• social impact assessment /
• sustainable development

Abstract: The mountainous regions of China,where 64% of the rural population reside, cover2 3 of its land area. In these rural mountainous areas,production of non-timberforestproducts(NTFPs)is closely related to development and the forest-based ecological environment. Certification of sustainable forest management is a market mechanism-based tool promoting sustainable forest management, and it has increasingly led to global recognition of environmentally healthy and socially reliable forest products. A well-managed forest usually meets responsible management criteria in environmental, social, and economic terms. These criteria can assure sustainable management, which is why forest certification (including certification of NTFPs)is conducted. This paper discusses the production of forest products (and NTFPs) in rural areas with emphasis on sustainable development of the ecological environment through certification-associated environmental and social impact assessments. China, with its many challenges, is only beginning to utilize forest certification, and should continue to improve its maintenance and recovery of forest biodiversity, popularization of forest certification-associated knowledge, and both social and environmental impact assessments.[En, 11 ref.]