Dear subscribers to the list, I would like to draw your attention that some confusion arose from discussions on this list regarding a scheme I developed - International Registration of Forests (IRF). Please note that I personnally have not recommended a particular international organisation - such as ITTO - to implement this scheme. Please refer yourself to my site (http://www.infobahnos.com/~kiekens/) for getting the details of the proposal. It is clear that the IRF scheme is slightly different from the certification schemes currently on offer. I have argued in an article in UNASYLVA that certification, as it is currently developped, may be a very dangerous instrument for promoting sustainable forest management. (http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/faoinfo/forestry/unasylva/183/e/183-05e.htm) It is against this background that the IRF proposal has been developed: it aims at working in a decentralised, participatory and transparent way - handling directly the issue of improving forest management on the ground, and not relying on relatively hypothetical green markets to phase in sustainable forest management. To be noted is that the suggested IRF scheme would, however, vastly ease forests products certification, by making it a relatively straightforward certifcation of origin. In case it is implemented, various accompanying measures would however be required to prevent problems such as trade discrimination and marketing of timber from conversion forests. Best regards, Jean-Pierre Kiekens University of Brussels & Environmental Strategies Europe Chaussée de Wavre 1517-P B-1160 Bruxelles Tel : +32-2-6753668 Fax : +32-2-6753705 e-mail : kiekens@ibm.net http://www.infobahnos.com/~kiekens/
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