The Ministry of Natural Resources has announced that Guyana’s plan to achieve global standards of sustainable forest management has been recognised internationally now that Guyanese timber and timber products certified under the local standard will now bear the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification International labels and trademarks.
The Ministry said all forest management and chain-of-custody certificates issued by the local standard are now considered equal to those from the International certification system.
The Ministry said the move provides clear evidence to local and international buyers that the certified forest operator’s management practices meet global environmental, social, and economic standards, and it also demonstrates compliance with national and international legal forest requirements.
To combat illegal logging, the Ministry of Natural Resources noted that Guyana has maintained a national wood tracking system, which dates back to the early 2000s.
The system enables the tracking of timber and timber products from the market to the forest source.
The Guyana Forestry Commission is said to be working on training local auditors for certification bodies to use under the local standard system, reducing the need to bring auditors from overseas.
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