�� The “Sustainable Forestry” magazine, issued 4 times a year by the project, became one of the most popular and demanded magazines within the Russian forest sector.

�� The first one of the methodical recommendations titled ”Detection of Economical Crime in the Russian Forestry Sector” was published.

Summary 2005−2008

WWF and IKEA Co-operation on Forest Projects – a partnership to promote responsible forestry

WWF and IKEA partnership IKEA and WWF began a three year co-operation in 2002 to jointly promote responsible forestry in priority regions around the world, in order to secure forest resources for both present and future needs. Together the two organizations have plan-ned and implemented a series of forest projects in China, Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,

A selection of results 2005−2008The projects have made significant progress during 2005−2008 in promoting responsible forest management:

Russia

�� In Russia, the FSC certified forest area grew from about 3,2 million hectares in July 2005 to about 20,4 million hectares in 2008. By then 76 percent of the certified area belonged to members of the WWF Russian Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN www.panda.org/gftn).

�� By the year 2005 the information available on HCVF was rather limited. By the end of 2008 four brochures had been published: The work on mainstreaming the HCVF concept resulted in an increasing number of private forest compa-nies using the concept and the definition became more accepted.

�� Support was given to the development of Certifica-tion Centres for the dissemination of knowledge of FSC certification.

�� Project efforts lead to the introduction of a new academic course in Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) due to the development of a text book on SFM.

Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The projects are important steps in implementing IKEA’s forest action plan and in achie-ving WWF’s conservation targets.

Of particular concern in this partnership are illegal logging, fo-rest certification, responsible forest management, High Conser-vation Value Forests (HCVF), timber trade and the lack of enough volumes of sustainedly produced timber and forest products.

Frank Miller, Rodney Taylor, George White

George White, Darius Sarshar

�� In June 2008, the FSC certified area in China was nearly 900,000 hectares with another 230 000 hectares soon to be certified. More than 90 percent of these forest areas have received technical support from WWF China.

�� 38 experts were trained and received certificate as Lead Auditor of FSC certification and hundreds of foresters, academia and government officials have received training on FSC certification.

�� The project supported four Forest Management Units (FMU) to carry out HCVF identification, two of which have passed FSC certification. The HCVF concept was incor-porated into government guideline on forest management planning, at the national as well as the regional level.

China

�� Guidelines were translated into Chinese, such as Interpretation of Forest Certification Standards, Keep it Legal and Responsible Purchasing of Forest Products.

�� Support was provided on the drafting of the National Guideline on Sustainable Overseas Forest Develop-ment for Chinese forest enterprises.

Laos and Cambodia

�� The project did research on growth and production of key rattan commercial species (first rattan taxonomic book in Cambodia) and the results were used for the development of the first rattan forest management plans to cover 878 hectares of natural forest.

�� A community based sustainable rattan management and production model was developed and three rattan nur-series with a production of 60 000 seedlings/year were constructed, two in Laos and the first one ever in Cambo-dia. The seedlings are sold by the villagers, who thereby get extra incomes.

�� A total of 8 hectares of rattan for shoot production invol-ving 40 families was planted in Laos and people from six villages in both countries acquired training on rattan handi-craft, which also brings additional incomes for villagers. 10 hectares of forest have been enriched in Cambodia.

�� The project established a solid network through collabora-tion with the government institutions, national research and educational institutions, NGOs as well as with rattan processing companies.

Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine

�� The first models of integrated forest management plans were developed in Romania and Bulgaria, contributing to a better understanding of the multifunctional role of the forests and the benefit of people, as well as to a better ma-nagement of the forests. The planning process and results helped to improve national legislation in Bulgaria and provi-ded arguments for improving the Romanian legislation.

�� In Ukraine the final draft of the adapted HCVF Toolkit was developed and the field tests started.

�� The Romanian State Forest Administration committed to certify 2 million hectares in the near future and the State Forestry Agency in Bulgaria committed to certify at least 30 percent of the state owned forests during the coming years. The first FSC FM certification in Bulgaria, 22 000 hectares, became a reality with active support by the project in 2005.

�� One of the Romanian Model forests, The Baia Mare Municipality Forest, was the first Municipality Forest which obtained the FSC FM certificate in Romania.

�� In Romania, HCVFs were identified in Maramures and ma-nagement recommendations were developed. In Bulgaria, an area of more than 270 000 hectares was investigated for the presence of HCVF. In Ukraine HCVFs were identified on almost 50 000 hectares of forest.

�� In Romania a national timber tracking system, SUMAL, was developed at the initiative of the project. SUMAL is be-ing used by timber forest managers, harvesting companies and wood processors based on the legal requirements to register any trade in the system.

�� More than 300 foresters and NGO representatives were informed or trained in responsible forest management practices and tools.

Latvia and Lithuania

�� To promote FSC products on the Russian domestic market in order to spur FSC certification in the country.

�� To motivate the forest owners in Lithuania to keep their at-tention, interest and the focus on responsible forestry.

�� To promote sustainable forest management and respon-sible purchasing and impose more pressure on Chinese companies to improve the legality of their supply chains.

�� To ensure sustainable management of rattan resources in Laos, Cambodia and now also in Vietnam through scaling-up the work with villages and the private sector.

�� To strengthen the HCV Resource Network as a central point of reference for policy makers and HCV practitio-ners, and promote the consistent use of HCV methods in current and emerging applications.

The WWF and IKEA Partnership supported the High Con-servation Value Resource Network (www.hcvnetwork.org), a global multi-stakeholder initiative which aims to promote col-laboration and consistency in the use of the HCV concept.

�� A Steering Group of key HCV stakeholders was convened to oversee the development and function of the Network.

�� A Charter was launched which highlights the Network’s shared vision of the use of the HCV approach, details its mission and structure, as well as the agreed definitions of HCVs, and best practice in use of the framework. By mid-2008, some 250 individuals were signatories to the Network Charter.

�� In Latvia, surveys were performed on the legality of the timber flow from privately owned forests and an overview of the illegal timber transactions. In Lithuania, studies were carried out which identified the root problems causing il-legal activities in the forest sector.

�� Communication campaigns have been carried out in the two countries, promoting for example FSC and the importance of dead wood in the forest.

�� The six demonstration forests, with the purpose to demon-strate and communicate re-sponsible forest management in Latvia and Lithuania, were visited by several thousand people.

�� Seminars, training courses, and panel discussions on responsible forest management and FSC certification have been organised for forest owners, students, industry com-panies and employees at government institutions.

More information:For more information on the WWF and IKEA Partnership, visit www.panda.org/ikea

HCV Resource Network

�� Technical Panel of HCV expert practitioners was conve-ned to review and comment on specific cases, and make recommendations on good practice in HCV assessments and projects.

�� Presence at high profile events raised awareness, and cla-rified key elements in the use of the HCV framework (e.g. FSC General Assembly 2005, TRN Conference 2006, and UN Climate Change Conference 2007); regional meetings were conducted to develop and promote the concept (e.g. Brazil and South Africa).

�� On-going development of the website as a key source of information has continued throughout the period; this has become the automatic reference for HCV and is widely used by both current practitioners, and those developing policy.

Continuing the co-operationMany challenges remain and for a real change to happen, it will require persistence. That is why WWF and IKEA began the third phase of work in 2008. In the coming three years, the two organizations will continue their work to ensure efficient responsible business practices and the sound use of natural resources with a focus on reaching a sustainable ecological footprint.

Some future challenges�� To continue promoting multifunctional use of forests through integrated management with a special emphasis on forest management that can help to mitigate climate change. To prevent illegal logging in Romania and Bulgaria by supporting the development and implementation of national action plans as well as through activities on HCVF and FSC certification.