WWF and IKEA Co-operation on Forest Projects: a partnership to promote responsible forestry highlights from our work 2002-2005
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WWF and IKEA
Co-operation on Forest Projects:
a partnership to promote
responsible forestry
Credits: Background image
highlights from our work 2002-2005 © WWF-Canon/WWF-Switzerland/A.della Bella
Man sawing log © WWF-Canon/Edward Parker
Beech leaves © WWF/ Fritz Pölking
2 Summary
In this report, WWF highlights some of the main partners including NGOs, industry, research
results achieved by our co-operation with IKEA and institutes, and local, regional and federal
some of the lessons learned along the way. authorities. We have also brought on board other
donors to help scale-up the impacts of our efforts
These last three years have been very productive. and replicate similar activities in other countries.
Here are a few examples of what our co-operation As a result, we have more than doubled the initial
has helped achieve so far: investment and catalyzed supporting activities in
Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe.
© WWF-Canon/Michel Gunther
● In China, 100s of forest officers and scientists
have been trained in responsible forestry and We are starting to see that our co-operation’s
certification; work is having an impact on each country’s
● In Russia, 17 timber companies have committed forest agenda, shaped by the technical know-how,
themselves to responsible timber management by political willingness and business environment
joining the WWF Russia Forest and Trade Network; found there. In China, for example, top-level
● In Romania, 1 million hectares of state forest government support for our work has enabled us
IKEA and WWF share a common interest have achieved certification; to move ahead quickly on certification standards
● In Latvia, 5 demonstration forests have been and training, while in Russia, the enthusiasm of
in the conservation and sustainable
established to show forest owners and managers key timber companies has opened the door for our
use of forest resources, and began a
the benefits of responsible forestry. work to make certification a reality on the ground.
co-operation in 2002 to jointly promote
responsible forestry in priority regions The on-the-ground work has been done largely by However, many challenges remain and making
around the world. Together the two WWF’s regional and national offices and associate real change happen will require persistence.
organizations planned a series of organizations with input from a large number of That's why in 2005, WWF and IKEA are now
projects in China, Russia, Bulgaria, beginning a second phase
of work. In the coming three
Romania, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
years, our two organizations
that would advance the implementation will take further some of
of IKEA’s forest action plan and the the existing projects and
achievement of WWF’s conservation expand into other areas
targets. The overall goal of the co- where we share a
© WWF-Canon/John E.Newby
operation’s efforts has been to promote common interest.
legal compliance in forestry and trade,
reduce unsustainable logging and
strengthen multi-stakeholder-based
forest certification and management.
3 Introduction & background
In 2002 WWF International and the IKEA
Group began a co-operation to jointly Background -
promote responsible forestry in priority
regions across the globe. Together our two
combining our
organizations developed a set of global
toolkits and implemented a series of
strengths
regional projects to help reduce
unsustainable logging, promote legal Shared values, matching
compliance, strengthen multi-stakeholder strengths
-based forest certification and increase
IKEA and WWF recognize that when forest
the amount of forest under responsible raw materials are extracted, the biological and
management. social values of the forest must be maintained
and protected.
Here we at WWF report on some of the
highlights of the co-operation’s work and The mission of WWF, the global conservation
organization, is to stop and eventually reverse
some lessons we have learned along the
environmental degradation and to build a future
way, as the first three-year phase wraps
where people live in harmony with nature. With
up. We will also look briefly at plans for forest conservation one of its top global priorities,
the second phase, which is planned to WWF addresses forest issues through: policy
run through 2008. advocacy, on-the-ground action and international
campaigns.
WWF recognizes the increasingly important role
that business plays in shaping and implementing
sustainable policies. All of WWF’s co-operations
with companies are based on three guiding
principles: mutual respect, transparency and WWF’s
© WWF-Canon/Martin Harvey
right to criticize. We believe that our co-operation
with IKEA shows the real differences that can be
© WWF-Canon/Martin Harvey
made by joining forces with private companies
committed to conservation goals.
4 Introduction & background
The IKEA Group, for its part, is one of the largest How it all began
private companies in the world, with over 200 home
furnishing stores in more than 30 countries. Wood The current co-operation took off in 2000 with a
is the most commonly used raw material in IKEA brainstorming workshop where IKEA and WWF
products and, with a sustainability mission to have representatives jointly set priorities for the
an overall positive impact on people and nature, collaboration. The countries to include in the project
IKEA pays close attention to the sources of its wood work were selected on the basis of their importance
products. To achieve its long-term goal of sourcing for IKEA’s present and future wood sourcing and
all its wood from certified forests, IKEA has WWF’s conservation priorities. Similarly, the choice
developed a four-level step-wise model to place of issues to be addressed in the projects was based
gradually higher demands on its solid wood on their relevance to IKEA’s business and their place
suppliers. IKEA does not accept timber from intact in WWF’s target programme. The actual project work
natural forests or high conservation value forests of the co-operation started at the beginning of 2002.
(HCVFs), unless the latter are FSC-certified.
The goal set for the co-operation's work was to
IKEA has teamed up with several organizations to promote responsible forestry by:
implement its social and environmental strategy
and in forestry has been working with Global Forest 1.Contributing to the development of global
Watch, an initiative of the non-profit organization toolkits: to help identify and manage particularly
World Resources Institute, to map the world’s intact important forest areas and to encourage
natural forests. certification and improved forest management
2.Implementing a tailored set of supporting 1 The WWF/IKEA
activities – often including the regional application steering group
of the toolkits – in priority countries:
● China
● Bulgaria and Romania
● Russia
● The Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
© WWF-Canon/Michel Gunther
1
5 Walking the talk 1 FSC logo
on sustainably
harvested logs
Two of the main forest conservation WWF supports credible forest certification as a tool
concepts that we have applied in our to ensure environmentally responsible, socially 2 Prime panda
project work are forest certification and beneficial and economically viable management of habitat - a good
forests. Currently, FSC is the only certification example of an
High Conservation Value Forests. So what
scheme that fulfils the WWF criteria. Similarly FSC HCVF in China
do these terms mean and why are they is still the only forest certification standard that
important to what the co-operation has meets the long-term aims of IKEA. 3 A birch landscape
been trying to achieve? in Russia, protected
High Conservation for its high
conservation values
Value Forests
One of the co-operation's key products is a global
toolkit for identifying and managing High Conservation
© WWF-Canon/N.C.Turner
Value Forests (HCVFs). These forests are defined
as forests of outstanding and critical importance due
to their high environmental, socioeconomic,
biodiversity or landscape values. HCVFs could be
old-growth forests in Siberia, habitats of threatened
1 orang-utans in Southeast Asia or the sacred burial
grounds of a North American First Nations people.
Forest Certification: The HCVF concept may allow for limited logging of
these forests, as long as their conservation values
more than just a label are maintained. Both WWF and IKEA believe that
Forest certification is a system of inspecting the identification of HCVFs is important to help ensure
quality of forest management and tracking the timber conservation and sustainable use of these priority
produced through to the final product. Certification forest areas. IKEA has committed to accepting
therefore not only guarantees that timber products timber from HCVFs only if it is FSC-certified.
have come from responsibly managed forests, but
also enables timber buying companies to recognize
and favour these products. The certification system
© WWF-Canon/John MacKinnon
of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) enjoys
© WWF-Canon/Darren Jew
widespread support in more than 60 countries
worldwide and requires, among other things, that
forest management respects indigenous people's
rights and preserves the important values of High
Conservation Value Forests.
2 3
6 The right tools for the job
Our co-operation’s project work included HCVF Toolkit:
production of three toolkits and their 1 Getting muddy:
application on the ground in several
turning theory into practice identifying HCVFs
in Russia
countries. So what has gone into this trio
The HCVF concept, while important for forest
of toolkits and what role have they played conservation, had proven rather unwieldy to put into 2 FSC certified
in promoting responsible forestry? practice. So the WWF/IKEA co-operation supported saw mill
the preparation of a toolkit that would help those
involved in forest management and certification to
identify and manage these valuable forest areas.
A natural resource management consulting firm,
Proforest, was tasked with coordinating production
of the toolkit by bringing together experts in the
HCVF field. The finished product can be
downloaded from www.panda.org/forests
The global HCVF toolkit provides guidelines for
defining HCVFs and lists the kinds of questions
that need to be asked when identifying the different
types of HCVs present. These questions help
specify forest areas which, for example:
1
● contain rare or threatened ecosystems;
No job too big ●
●
are home to endangered species;
provide important services, such as erosion
control; or
In Romania a tailored version of the HCVF ● are critical to the traditional cultural identity
© WWF-Canon/WWF-Switzerland/A.della Bella
toolkit was used by the National Forest of local communities.
Administration (NFA) to finalize FSC
certification of 1 million hectares of The global toolkit has been translated and used
state-owned forests. When receiving the to map potential HCVFs in Russia, China, Bulgaria
certification award, Mr Simion Maftei, and Romania, in collaboration with national and
General Manager of the NFA, commented: regional authorities.
“I want to acknowledge the support given by IKEA and
by the WWF Danube Carpathian Programme.”
2
7 The right tools for the job
Strength in numbers
Switzerland/A.della Bella
The Global Forest and Trade Network (GTFN)
© WWF-Canon/WWF-
is a WWF-led partnership between leading
NGOs and companies and communities that
are committed to demonstrating leadership
and best practice in responsible forest
management and trade. The GFTN provides
participants with a supporting framework to
Producer Group Toolkit: create the right conditions for responsible
taking it step by step timber production and trade. Today the GFTN
includes over 300 companies who together
In many countries, forest certification has trade more than 45 million m3 of forest
been slower to advance than was hoped. products annually.
The main challenge has been to get
The WWF/IKEA co-operation has supported
forest managers to commit to costly
producer-oriented Forest & Trade Networks
certification and major changes in their in Bulgaria, Romania and Russia.
1
forest management, with little resources
or incentives for them to do so. In 2002, “GFTN 1 Thinking steps:
the WWF/IKEA co-operation decided to Boring title, brilliant tool participation has
the minds behind
the MIV tool
support committed timber companies to
One of the least charismatic outputs of our improved our
help them achieve credible certification 2 Leaflet on the
co-operation - the Modular Implementation 2 environmental
and responsible forest management by: and Verification (MIV) tool - has actually Carpathian FTN
proven a great success. The tool makes FSC- performance, making us more
● mobilizing them as participants of producer- certification a more doable and attractive appealing to customers and
oriented networks through WWF’s Global Forest option for producers by breaking down the investors and allowing us to
& Trade Network; requirements into reasonable phases and
● providing these groups with technical support and spreading out the costs over time. The step- trade in environmentally
market linkages; wise approach, inspired by IKEA's own sensitive markets.”
● developing a toolkit to help these groups organize staircase model for pacing the demands it Gennady Ivanov, Logging Technology and
themselves; and places on timber suppliers, has undoubtedly Organisation Manager, Ilim Pulp Enterprise,
● developing a step-by-step tool to guide generated greater interest in certification Russia
participants in their progress towards certification. among forest producers.
8 The right tools for the job
PathFinder Toolkit: environmental consulting firm, Pi Environmental from around the world, and brought in some
Consulting, to lead the work to build on this toolkit groups that had previously been only marginally
kick-starting certification and adapt it to the needs of NWGs. involved with certification. This has led to a more
widespread ownership of the toolkit and has
The best starting point for FSC New sections were added on, for example, how paved the way for possible follow-up activities in
certification in any country is the NWGs can build consensus and deal with conflicts other countries.
between stakeholders, and how local communities
formation of a multi-stakeholder National
can participate in setting the certification standards.
Working Group (NWG) to develop national The toolkit can be accessed at
certification standards. Forest www.piec.org/pathfinder. “The PathFinder outcome is
management in that country can then be
assessed for certification based on these The process of developing the PathFinder toolkit fantastic - I feel proud of the
relevant standards. involved a wide range of organizations and experts result.” PathFinder toolkit team member
1 Plotting the path:
start-up meeting for
the PathFinder
toolkit
2 Commercial
logging in Latvia
1
Up until now, these groups have been rather left
to themselves to figure out how to do their work.
With no real guidance, they have had to learn the
hard way - through trial and error. The WWF/IKEA
co-operation therefore supported the development
© WWF-Canon/Edward Parker
of a toolkit for NWGs, showing how the different
stakeholders can work together to develop national
forest certification standards. Fortunately WWF had
already worked with the World Bank to produce a
toolkit that contained many of the necessary
elements. The co-operation commissioned an
2
9 On-the-ground action China
China is a major player in the global The WWF/IKEA co-operation chose to focus its The co-operation’s work on HCVFs in China
forest arena - both as a consumer and work in China on three issues during 2002-2005: included the identification of HCVFs in three
supplier of forest products. With its priority landscapes and in the areas covered by
● identifying HCVFs in Northeast China and Inner two local forest bureaus. Encouragingly, the Jilin
own forests degraded after decades
Mongolia (where most of IKEA’s suppliers Forestry Department in North-east China has
of overexploitation, China now imports operate); included HCVF identification in its new 5-year
huge amounts of timber from other ● encouraging legal compliance in the domestic provincial forestry development plan.
countries to satisfy its domestic market and international supply chains for IKEA 1 Keeping tabs on
and international export industry. China products made in China; and China's timber trade
currently supplies about 10% of IKEA’s ● building capacity and support for responsible is a huge challenge
solid wood. While IKEA is doing all it forestry and certification.
2 Map showing
can to ensure this timber comes from
Through these efforts, the co-operation has made “Thanks to the work of the potential HCVFs in
legal, well-managed sources, the sheer a real difference to forest conservation in China. Northeast China
scale of the illegal logging trade makes Three years ago, very few people in China knew
WWF/IKEA co-operation, forest and Inner Mongolia
this a very difficult task. about certification, awareness about the illegal certification has become true in
logging problem was very low, and government
China.” Zhu Chunquan, WWF-China
support for responsible forest management was
sorely lacking. Now there is widespread support for
certification among many stakeholders, as well as
an open recognition of the illegal logging problem
and a real willingness to search for solutions. We
believe that the WWF/IKEA co-operation has been
instrumental in making these changes happen,
through our policy discussion and capacity
building work.
One of the most exciting signs of progress was the
decree issued in 2003 by the Chinese government
that called for fast-track promotion of forest
certification in line with international requirements.
© WWF-Canon/Yifei Zhang
This led to the development of national and
regional certification standards and made the co-
operation’s capacity-building and outreach efforts
all the more relevant.
1 2
10 On-the-ground action China
Getting back to basics Adding it all up Some lessons learned
The WWF/IKEA co-operation is developing a ● 3 landscapes and 2 forest bureaus in
in China
manual for timber manufacturing and purchasing northeast China and Inner Mongolia have Chinese customs have no way of checking
companies on how they can verify legal had their HCVFs mapped the source or legality of timber imports from
compliance in their timber supply chains. Russia as these imports do not require any
Originally this manual was to be based on the ● More than 80 forest product companies verification from the Russian authorities.
industry’s ‘best practice’ experiences. However now have Chain of Custody certification This obviously hinders efforts to track and
it soon became clear that companies had little (compared to 27 only three years ago) tackle the illegal cross-border timber trade.
to offer - they had no tried-and-tested methods
for screening illegally harvested wood. So the ● 100s of forest officers and scientists have The HCVF concept provides an important
co-operation decided to change tack and work been trained in responsible forestry and framework for improving forest management
with experts to develop a ‘Keep it Legal’ manual certification in China. However, China’s forest zoning
for companies. This has proved quite an policy is not really conducive to the
enlightening process, as WWF has consulted ● At least 6000 people received regular identification of HCVFs and more work is
with a wide range of stakeholders and refined newsletters on certification needed to make these two systems
its own policies on legality along the way. For compatible.
instance, WWF has now put in place clearer ● Up to 4 million people watched two special
legality requirements for the participants in its television programmes on certification
Global Forest & Trade Network.
1 A field visit
to a project site
in China
111 On-the-ground action Russia
Russia is home to one-fifth of the world’s We believe that the co-operation has been
forests and is a major supplier of timber able to catalyze something of a turnaround in
products to Europe and China. Pressure forest conservation in Russia. Illegal logging, a
taboo subject three years ago, is now high on
on Russia’s forests is increasing,
the political and business agendas. Responsible
fuelled by insufficient legislation and forestry has caught the attention of Russian
governance, and conservation efforts companies and there is increasing demand
are often frustrated by high levels of for information and knowledge on how to make
institutionalized corruption behind the it happen.
illegal logging activities. The Russian
Far East is a critical area as it contains But perhaps the most obvious difference has
been in the area of certification. In 2002 FSC
the last remaining mixed cedar-
certification was at an early stage in Russia and
broadleaved forests and could offer only about 300,000 hectares were FSC-certified.
hope for the survival of the critically Today, 6.3 million hectares of Russian forest are
endangered Siberian tiger. However, FSC-certified, of which 3.8 million hectares are
this region also suffers from the illegal managed by participants of the WWF Russia
timber trade with China and has seen Forest & Trade Network, including suppliers
to IKEA.
large-scale deforestation of its valuable
forest resources. 1 Broad-leaved
forest in the Russian
Far East
The WWF/IKEA co-operation developed five main
themes for its work in Russia during 2002-2005:
2 Getting down
● identifying HCVFs in key areas of interest to business: some
to IKEA and WWF; participants of the
● monitoring illegal logging and promoting WWF Russia Forest
legal compliance; & Trade Network
● strengthening the WWF Russia producer-
oriented Forest & Trade Network;
© WWF-Canon/Hartmut Jungius
● increasing certification capacity and
awareness; and
● establishing an anti-timber poaching brigade 2
in one area of the Russian Far East.
112 On-the-ground action Russia
Not a job for the faint Some lessons learned Adding it all up
hearted... in Russia ● 6 certification training centres - centres
Direct hits on the illegal logging trade can The Russian and Chinese customs records on of excellence in responsible forest
only be made on the spot, so the co-operation their timber trade don’t tally up. This makes management - are up and running in
set up a six-man team to uncover and bring to the cross-border trade non-transparent and priority regions
justice those involved in timber poaching. makes it easier for wood from dubious
Working in one province in the Russian Far sources to enter the market. ● 8 issues of a magazine on sustainable
East, this so-called Sobol Brigade faces some forest management have been produced
real challenges. The area’s harsh climate and We have seen the first signs of market
vast size, together with the highly-organized pressure from US and Chinese companies on ● 17 companies have joined the WWF
nature of the illegal logging business and its the issue of illegal logging, though much Russia Forest & Trade Network
links with corrupt government officials make work is still needed to make Chinese trading
their work a real struggle. Yet this team has and processing companies pay real attention ● Over 350 forest managers and WWF
made remarkable progress in fighting the to the legality of timber supplied from Russia. Russia Forest & Trade Network staff and
criminals and reducing the illegal trade. participants have taken part in certification
A high-profile case in 2003 saw the provincial training courses and seminars
head of the Federal Forest Service
Department found guilty of illegally allowing ● 3.8 million hectares of FSC-certified 1 Illegal harvesters
logging of the endangered cedar-broadleaved forests are managed by the WWF Russia with confiscated
forests. The Brigade has now been fully Forest & Trade Network participants cedar nuts
anchored in the regional administration and
is being used as a model by the Far Eastern
Federal District of the Ministry of Natural
Resources to reorganize all their forest
inspection teams. “The men are hand-picked for
their experience and devotion
to duty. They’re locals - you
need good contacts to get to
grips with a shady business
like this.”
Göran Sundberg, forest coordinator for IKEA
in Irkutsk, on the Sobol Brigade
113 On-the-ground action Bulgaria and Romania
Bulgaria and Romania have important
areas of biodiversity-rich natural forest
and some of the highest forest covers in
Eastern Europe - a region that currently
supplies 25% of IKEA’s solid wood.
However, these valuable resources are
under growing pressure from widespread
illegal logging, a high market demand for
cheap timber and changes in land
ownership. Land restitution policies are
putting significant areas of forest back in
the hands of private owners and opening
them up to market forces. Many of the
new forest owners have no experience in
sustainable forest management and little
incentive to conserve their forest foundations for the effective conservation and “The HCVF toolkit raised interest Romania’s Apuseni
responsible management of the region’s forests. Mountains in Winter
resources. There is therefore an urgent from foresters as it offered a
And the ‘process’ achievements have been equally
need for training and awareness-raising important, in engaging with private forest owners different perspective on the
to help these owners manage their and encouraging dialogue and collaboration
forests in a responsible manner. between the different stakeholder groups.
values of the forest”
George Dinicu, Forest Officer of WWF in Romania
The co-operation identified three priority issues for Country-specific HCVF toolkits were developed
its work in Bulgaria and Romania during 2002-2005: and tested in several state and private forest areas
in both countries - in districts from where IKEA the group’s participants we have been swimming
● promoting widespread use of the HCVF toolkit; suppliers are sourcing their wood. The toolkits went against a strong tide, as the demand for certified
● establishing a WWF Forest & Trade Network in the down very well with the foresters in these areas, timber in these countries’ main export markets is
region; who appreciated the new perspectives they gained very low. This has resulted in the group becoming
● building capacity and strengthening stakeholder on forest values. more active as an industry/NGO alliance to lobby
approaches for certification. for national legislation and policy to support
We have helped establish a regional Forest & Trade responsible forestry and curb illegal logging. In
While the results of our work here are perhaps not Network, known as the WWF Carpathian Forest & taking on this rather unexpected role, the group
as dramatic as those we have seen in China and Trade Network, which includes several IKEA participants are supporting the co-operation’s
Russia, they have nonetheless built strong suppliers. In trying to promote certification among policy advocacy efforts.14 On-the-ground action Bulgaria and Romania
We have set up certification information and training
centres in both Bulgaria and Romania and the Bulgarian Some lessons learned
centre has participated in the country’s first FSC
certification processes, for both state and private forests.
in Bulgaria and Romania
We found a surprisingly high level of
While the Bulgarian government is hesitant to adopt interest in certification and responsible
FSC certification on a wide scale, the Romanian forest management among private forest
government has been much more receptive. One owners in these two countries. Certainly in
million hectares of Romania’s state forest have been Bulgaria, private forest owners seem much
certified - something the WWF/IKEA Co-operation more receptive to these ideas than their
has directly contributed to through work on HCVFs and state counterparts - and their enthusiasm
support for the national working group on certification. bodes well for the future of the region's
What’s more, the Romanian forest administration forest resources.
has committed to bring all its 4 million hectares of
forest under certification, a move that would serve as Collaboration between NGOs and government
a positive example for other countries in the region. is still a challenge in the region. There are
some signs of improvement, driven in large
part by the countries' preparations for
Adding it all up accession to the European Union. One of the
best ways of helping build trust between
● 8 field tests of the HCVF toolkit have been these groups is to facilitate their joint
completed in Bulgaria and Romania participation in multi-stakeholder processes
such as certification standard setting or
● 16 companies have joined the WWF forest management planning.
Carpathian Forest and Trade Network
1 Assessing the
● Nearly 700 people have been trained in Naruja community
certification and responsible forest forest in Romania
management for FSC certification
© WWF-Canon/Magnus Sylven
● 17,000 hectares of forest owned by 9 2 The Koupena
communities have received FSC group Biosphere Reserve
certification in Romania in Bulgaria
● 1 million hectares of Romanian state forest
have achieved certification
1 215 On-the-ground action The Baltic States
Forests in the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia ● developing and expanding group certification
and Lithuania) are important for both their schemes.
biodiversity value and their contribution to
The co-operation provided training, technical advice
the national economies. The region is also
and support for forest owners and producers wanting
an important source for IKEA’s solid wood to set up group certification schemes and our local
supplies. However, the region’s forests are partner in Estonia produced a toolkit for managers
under pressure, following recent political and members of these groups. The toolkit, relevant
and economic upheavals. An ongoing land for use in most European countries, has been widely
restitution process has put about half of disseminated by WWF.
the region’s forests in private hands. Many
The co-operation has also catalyzed shared learning
of the new owners have little knowledge of
within the region and between the Baltic States and
forest management and little incentive to Bulgaria and Romania. One of the most effective
invest in their forests. What’s more, the means of generating new ideas and support for
overall timber business environment is responsible forestry has been the organization of
1
riddled with illegal logging and other a series of study trips for forest owners and policy
criminal activities, making it very difficult makers from the different countries.
1 A seminar
for individual companies to maintain on biodiversity
responsible purchasing policies Show-and-tell forests conservation for
if they wish to stay in the market. On the harvesting
other hand, forest certification is more We set up five demonstration forests in contractors in
developed here than in other parts of Latvia to show private forest owners and Lithuania
Eastern Europe, and all state forests are forestry staff the techniques and benefits
FSC-certified in the three Baltic States. of responsible forest management. Visitors 2 The group
to these forests can see for themselves how certification toolkit
management has switched from clear cutting produced for Estonia
Given this scenario, we focused our efforts during (the most common harvesting method in the is being used in
2002-2005 on private forest owners, with the following country) to selective logging, and can many European
three goals: question the owners about the economic countries.
and ecological benefits of such a change.
● increasing the amount of certified private forests in
priority regions for WWF and IKEA; “People are surprised how much money they can save
● developing training material on responsible forest or make by using nature-friendly techniques.” says Janis
management and group certification; and Rozitis of Pasaules Dabas Fonds, formerly WWF Latvia.
216 On-the-ground action The Baltic States
“Surprisingly, the contractors
Making change happen Adding it all up
supported our ideas on
As in many other places, there is a need in ● 4 new FSC group certification schemes biodiversity conservation
the Baltic States for forest policies that have been established in the region
encourage private owners to switch to measures during final felling and
responsible forest management. The WWF/IKEA ● 5 demonstration forests have been created actively commented on our
Co-operation has therefore supported the in Latvia recommendations”
ongoing work of the local partners in Latvia Darius Stoncius, Lithuanian Fund for Nature
and Estonia to influence national forest policy ● About 70 different training events have
processes. One concrete result of these been held in these demonstration forests
efforts has been the development of a
progressive new forest legislation in Estonia ● More than 500 forest owners and State “We have learned how a global
that requires owners to draw up management Forest Service staff attended field-based company can in reality catalyze
plans for their forests. And in Latvia, the certification seminars in Latvia
change in forest management -
bringing together of the forest authorities,
banks and NGOs to discuss illegal logging both through support to WWF
and forest crime, along with coordinated and demands to suppliers.”
lobbying work, has resulted in major changes Some lessons learned Toomas Trapido, Estonian Fund for Nature, on
in tax legislation and control of the forest in the Baltic States their work with IKEA
sector. These changes are likely to change
the way that Latvian forest owners do Given the high demand for timber, there
business and reduce the incentives for tax is still little incentive for private forest
avoidance and money laundering. owners to invest in forest certification.
1 Welcome sign at a
Policy advocacy work can bring real results demonstration forest
in promoting responsible forestry and
certification, and controlling illegal 2 Private forest
logging. Only by combining the training owners and state
and demonstration activities with specific forest service staff
policy work will these have a major impact visit a demonstration
on forest management practices. forest in Latvia
2 117 Reflecting on progress
Reading over these highlights of our together NGOs and other stakeholders in the forest 1 Forest butterfly
co-operation, the achievements are sector have helped build a strong foundation for in China
striking - and so are the challenges. future progress in the Baltic States as well as in
Bulgaria and Romania. 2 Siberian tiger
We at WWF believe that our joint work
walking on a frozen
has had an impact on each country’s lake
forest agenda, shaped by the technical Rising to the challenge
know-how, political willingness and We shouldn’t underestimate the challenges which
business environment found there. still remain in all countries where the WWF/IKEA
In China, for example, top-level co-operation has been active. The sheer scale of
government support for our work has the illegal logging problems, together with a lack
of capacity and access to information, perverse
enabled us to make real progress on
market forces, and widespread corruption, all
certification and to train hundreds of create a daunting environment in which to work.
forest workers in responsible forestry Progress can be slow, but we are persistent and
approaches. In Russia there has been committed to consulting and engaging with a wide
a more than ten-fold increase in the range of stakeholders. Both organizations have
certified forest area. At the same time, learnt a great deal about each other, about what
the co-operation can offer, and how best to join
our discussions with both the Chinese
forces for maximum impact. These lessons will
and Russian governments have made the stand us both in good stead as we move into the
once-taboo illegal logging issue a focus next phase of our collaboration.
of attention at the regional and federal
levels in both countries.
In Bulgaria and Romania, it has been slower going,
though the Romanian government’s commitment to
certify its 4 million hectares of state forest is a major
step forward - and one in which the co-operation
played a key part. Our major impact in these
countries has been to help put in place safeguards
for the protection of valuable forest resources.
© WWF/Klein & Hubert
Finally, in the Baltic States, capacity building work
with private forest owners and advocacy work on
national forest policies have been particularly
relevant. These efforts, in addition to bringing
1 218 Reflecting on progress
What did we get out of it? More bang for our bucks Taking things further
For WWF, the co-operation has helped us move The WWF-IKEA co-operation was not designed as
closer to achieving our forest conservation targets a private affair. Instead, we have brought on board The WWF/IKEA co-operation has provided a
– particularly by developing and implementing tools several donor organizations to fund supporting platform for the two organizations to develop
for responsible forestry, tackling illegal logging and activities that have further increased the impacts a trusting relationship and learn from each
supporting the adoption of credible forest of our work. On the basis of the co-operation’s other. As a result, each organization has
certification worldwide. The co-operation has also achievements, WWF has been able to globalize the benefited from frank and informed input in
helped WWF advance its forest policy advocacy benefits and learning of the toolkits and the country other areas of their work. For instance, WWF
work, as IKEA’s involvement has given WWF work. Partner organizations such as USAID, DEG was invited to participate in the development
stronger leverage in its discussions with other (a member of KfW banking group), the Swedish of IKEA's Social and Environmental Strategy
stakeholders: companies, governments, Environmental Protection Agency, the WWF-World for FY 06-09. And IKEA participated in an
intergovernmental organisations, as well as other Bank Alliance and the EU have provided more internal meeting of WWF's European Forest
NGOs. WWF’s relationship with IKEA has also than twice as much funding as we started with Team to challenge WWF on how it works and
contributed hugely to our own organizational back in 2002. functions as an organization. Other
thinking on how to work with companies on forest opportunities for collaboration have been
issues and how best to pursue forest certification. The ‘bonus’ activities funded by other donors identified and are being explored.
IKEA’s step-wise phasing of the demands it have included:
places on its suppliers of solid wood products
has inspired WWF to adopt a similar approach ● Translation of the HCVF toolkit into Spanish and
in its engagement with over 300 companies French and its application in many different
through the Global Forest & Trade Network. countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
● Replication of the Producer Group training
programme in Russia, Eastern Europe, Asia,
Africa and Latin America.
● Translation of the PathFinder toolkit into Chinese
and its field-testing in China.
● Translation of the PathFinder toolkit into Spanish
and its application in training efforts in Belize,
Guatemala and Nicaragua.
© WWF-Canon/Vladimir Filonov
● Supporting the first FSC certification of state-
owned forests in China, now covering a total of
420,000 hectares.19 Growing on a strong base
So - what next for the co-operation? 1 Planning
Well, a lot remains to be done. Based community forest
on the successes and learning of the last certification in
Naruja, Romania
three years, we will take our collaboration
further by building on some of the 2 200-year old
existing projects and expanding into other Cedar in the
areas where we share a common interest. Russian Far East
The second three-year phase of work,
due to start during 2005, will include:
Creating a global HCVF centre in co-operation
with other donors: a one-stop shop for information,
advice and training on HCVF identification and
management. This meta-office (at www.hcvf.org)
will be the hub of a global resource network that
includes local organizations, training centres and
experts involved in HCVF work. 1
Driving responsible forest management and Switching to sustainable rattan harvesting and
curbing illegal logging in China, Russia, Latvia production in Lao and Cambodia. Here we plan to
and Lithuania. Here we will focus on mainstreaming investigate the booming rattan trade in mainland
the HCVF concept, training forest managers in Indochina and develop pilot models of sustainable
responsible forest management and certification, community-based rattan production and harvesting.
and encouraging timber businesses to adopt
responsible production and purchasing policies. Certifying acacia plantations in Southeast Asia.
We plan to work with pioneer plantation managers
Developing model forest areas in Bulgaria and to help them achieve FSC certification, and hope to
Romania with the aim of integrating forest bring at least one acacia plantation in the region to
management issues in the regional development certification standard within the next three years.
© WWF-Canon/Vladimir Filonov
plans and ultimately influencing national forest policy.
In addition, the WWF/IKEA co-operation will promote
Building capacity for responsible forest responsible cotton production through support to
management in the Ukraine. Our aim here is to projects in India and Pakistan. The aim is to reduce
build a base for future work on securing safe the environmental and social impacts of cotton
sources and supply chains for timber products and production while generating benefits for business,
encouraging sustainable forest management. farming communities and the environment. 220 Who’s who in the Co-operation 2002-2005
“By joining forces, both
© WWF-Canon/Irene Lengui
organizations have been
strengthened. For example,
with IKEA by our side it has
been easier to influence
companies and local authorities
WWF/IKEA Steering Group members: IKEA Project contacts: Russia: Alexei Nuamov; to act positively.”
IKEA: Thomas Bergmark, Lars-Göran Peterson, Bulgaria and Romania: Dan Stoenescu; Latvia,
Chris Elliott. Then-Programme Director
Tomas Paulsson, Sofie Beckham, Pär Stenmark; Estonia, Lithuania: Egle Petrylaite; China: Benson Yu
WWF Forests for Life
WWF: Hans Berglund, Chris Elliott, Margaret Rainey, Project managers at national level: Bulgaria and
Rodney Taylor. Romania: Erika Stanciu (WWF DCP), Zhivko
Bogdanov (WWF DCP Bulgaria), George Dinicu
WWF/IKEA Coordination: (WWF DCP Romania), Ioan Vasile Abrudan
WWF Sweden: Karin Wessman. (Romanian Working Group for Forest Certification);
China: Zhu Chunquan (WWF China), Dong Ke
WWF Project leaders: Baltic States: Per Larsson; (WWF China); Russia: Elena Kulikova (WWF Russia),
Russia, Bulgaria and Romania: Duncan Pollard; Liviu Amariei (FSC Europe), Denis Smirnov (WWF
China: Rodney Taylor. Russia Far Eastern branch); Latvia, Estonia,
Lithuania: Janis Rozitis (Pasaules Dabas Fonds,
For more information on the formerly WWF Latvia), Kaupo Kohv (Estonian Fund for
WWF/IKEA co-operation, Nature), Darius Stoncius (Lithuanian Fund for Nature).
contact WWF at Consulting organizations: Ruth Nussbaum,
wwf-ikea-forestprojects@wwf.se Steve Jennings (Proforest); Pierre Hauselmann
or visit www.panda.org/forests/ikea (Pi Environmental Consulting)
© WWF-Canon/Vladimir Filonov
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