Local perceptions of community managers on the certification of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for non-timber forest products in the state of Acre / Percepções locais de manejadores comunitários sobre a certificação do Conselho de Manejo Florestal (FSC) para produtos florestais não madeireiros no Estado do Acre

AUTOR(ES)

Adriana Maria Imperador

DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2009

RESUMO

The certification of the Forest Stewardship Council is a management tool that aims to encourage the sustainable management of forest products considering social, economic and environmental aspects. In recent years, there have been efforts promoting community certification as a tool for developing non-timber forest products (NTFPs), hence generating many benefits and challenges, including that of reconciling the certification standards to the traditional management practices. Even considering that NTFPs are the main source of income for thousands of families worldwide, few scientific studies have questioned the perception of the communities involved. Given the experience of the Associações dos Seringueiros Porto Dias (ASPD) and of the Moradores e Agroextrativistas do Remanso de Capixaba (Amarca) associations, both certified by the FSC with NTFPs, this study aimed to assess both communitiesperception regarding this process in the state of Acre, in the brazilian Amazon forest. Data were collected through structured interviews, with semi-open and closed type questions on the difficulties encountered to comply with the actions related to certification, in addition to questions concerning the satisfaction, perspective and credibility of the process. 100% of the representatives of the families pertaining to the ASPD (n=7) and AMARC (n=10) associations were interviewed. The interviews were individual and conducted by only one interviewer, thereby ensuring the independence and uniformity of the analyses. The difficulties reported were tabulated using a Likert scale, with the most critical points related to solid waste management and to the handling of wild animals. The positive aspect considered by most respondents (35.3%) was the increased market value of the product, although this is not always the case. Regarding the negative aspects of certification, the difficulty in meeting the standards and marketing agreements was reported, in addition to a more difficult management. Most of the respondents do not consider any negative aspect to be relevant. It was found that 88.23% of the respondents recommend certification to other non-certified communities and that the intention to continue the process is unanimous, with restrictions on the improvement of gaining new markets. Regarding the credibility in the certification process, 76.47% of the respondents believe that certification can bring social benefits, 82.35% believe in economic benefits and 94.12% believe in the environmental benefits, as for instance the preservation of the Amazon forest. Adding value to the managed products and contributing to improving the living conditions of the members are challenges for the consolidation of the community forest certification of NTFPs in the state of Acre, Brazil.

ASSUNTO(S)

non-timber forest products amazônia certificação florestal comunitária conselho de manejo florestal (fsc) forest stewardship council (fsc) amazon forest produtos florestais não madeireiros forest community certification

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