Additional information will be added to the Consultation Platform in the coming days to better inform Canadians participating in the consultation for Advice Note (ADV-STD-60-004_02_V1-0). Please monitor the platform for the addition of this information prior to completing the consultation.
On April 2, 2026 Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) International launched a public consultation on two draft Advice Notes (ADV-STD-60-004_02 V1-0 and ADV-STD-20-007_18 V4-0) that introduce interim measures to support the implementation of Motion 45/2025 - Moving beyond fixed thresholds to outcome-based conservation for Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs). Motion 45 was passed by membership during the 2025 General Assembly. The messaging from FSC International for the consultations is below. Of the two draft advice notes, ADV-STD-60-004_02 V1-0 DEVELOPMENT OF INDICATORS FOR ENHANCED HCV 2 MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING IN IFL has direct implications for Canada.
Background
IFLs are large, unfragmented forest areas that have remained free from significant human disturbance. They play a critical role in maintaining biodiversity, regulating climate, and supporting the rights, livelihoods, and cultures of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
Over the last decade, FSC has progressively refined its approach to Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs). In 2014, FSC initiated the integration of the IFL concept into the FSC normative framework, as mandated by membership decisions on Motion 7/2014 and Motion 65/2014. Since then, the FSC membership has discussed and proposed additional approaches, including Motion 34/2017, Motion 23/2020, and Motion 45/2025 (available through the Members’ Portal). Throughout this evolution, FSC, both the membership and the Secretariat, have sought to balance the protection and the sustainable management of these areas, recognizing their essential role for biodiversity, for landscape-level ecosystems and for Indigenous Peoples’ rights, livelihoods, and values.
FSC Canada, including our membership and our Certificate Holders, have been active in every phase of this journey, conducting research, convening conversations and finding IFL and Indigenous Cultural Landscape (ICL) solutions that can fit within a Canadian context.
Through Motion 23 implementation, Canada was selected as one of four sites, with Peru, Brazil, and the Republic of Congo, to conduct IFL pilots using a landscape-wide approach. As part of the Motion 23 pilot process, of the four pilots, only Canada opted to also develop an approach to ICLs. As a result of these efforts, FSC Canada’s Standard Development Group (SDG) released the proposed IFL revisions to the National Forest Stewardship Standard of Canada (NFSS) for consultation from August 1 to September 30, 2025, and released the proposed ICL revisions for consultation from November 18, 2025 to January 16, 2026. The feedback received through both consultations was reviewed by the SDG and the proposed IFL and ICL requirements were revised accordingly.
The Motion 23 IFL and ICL revisions to the NFSS are currently in review by FSC International’s Policy and Performance Unit and are expected to go to the Policy & Standards Committee for approval consideration at the end of this month with a planned publication date by the end of June.
Public Consultation on Advice Note is now open
Advice Note ADV-STD-60-004_02 V1-0 aims to establish enhanced provisions to ensure the responsible management and protection of IFL/HCV 2 areas. These enhanced provisions will apply together with the Motion 23 indicators that will be integrated into Forest Stewardship Standards (FSS) as of July 1, 2026 in the pilot countries, and possibly expanded to additional countries (via Advice Note 2, ADV-STD-20-007_18 V4-0). The Advice Note introduces the first set of indicators implementing Motion 45/2025, which are supposed to supplement (rather than replace) the Motion 23 requirements in the FSS of Motion 23 pilot countries and potentially other (opt-in) countries.
An initial review of the Advice Note (ADV-STD-60-004_02 V1-0) by FSC Canada has identified areas where the Advice Note may overlap with or in some cases not completely align with the proposed Motion 23 IFL and ICL standard revisions.
Additional information will be added to the Consultation Platform in the coming days to better inform your participation in the consultation for Advice Note (ADV-STD-60-004_02_V1-0). Please monitor the platform for the addition of this information prior to completing the consultation.
The FSC International Motion 45 Advice Note Consultations
FSC International has launched two public consultations on new measures to strengthen how Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) are managed and protected. The consultations focus on two draft Advice Notes (ADV-STD-60-004_02 V1-0 and ADV-STD-20-007_18 V4-0) that introduce interim measures to support the implementation of Motion 45/2025, a decision by FSC members to move towards a more outcome-based approach to conserving these important forest areas.
The two Advice Notes are complementary but serve different purposes:
- ADV-STD-60-004_02 V1-0 introduces enhanced requirements for how IFLs are managed and monitored, including the identification of key ecological features, the integration of Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and rights, and the use of monitoring and adaptive management to maintain forest integrity over time. You can read more on the Process page at FSC Connect.
- ADV-STD-20-007_18 V4-0 establishes interim protection thresholds and eligibility criteria, particularly for countries outside earlier pilot processes, helping to extend improved IFL requirements to a broader range of forest management contexts. Again, you can read more on the Process page at FSC Connect.
Together, these two Advice Notes represent the first phase of implementing Motion 45/2025, combining improved management practices with updated protection approaches.
What is changing and why it matters
For many years, FSC requirements for IFLs have relied on fixed protection thresholds. While these have contributed to safeguarding large forest areas, they have also faced challenges in addressing complex, real-world conditions across different regions.
The proposed Advice Notes introduce a more comprehensive approach by combining:
- Stronger management and monitoring requirements, including identifying critical ecological features, limiting cumulative impacts, and ensuring forest recovery over time;
- Greater recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and socio-cultural values, including the application of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC); and
- Updated interim thresholds and eligibility criteria, allowing the approach to be applied more consistently across countries, including those not previously involved in pilot initiatives.
In practical terms, this means that forest managers will not only be required to protect a portion of IFLs, but also to demonstrate how forest conditions, biodiversity, and socio-cultural values are maintained or improved over time through monitoring and adaptive management.
These measures aim to support healthier forests, reduce the risk of fragmentation and degradation, and strengthen long-term conservation outcomes while enabling responsible forest management.
A collaborative process
The draft requirements have been developed through collaboration between FSC experts and a Technical Working Group, building on previous pilot experience (Motion 23/2020) and subsequent member decisions.
The public consultations provide an opportunity for stakeholders, including forest managers, certification bodies, Indigenous Peoples, environmental organizations, and others, to share their perspectives and help refine the proposed approach.
The public consultations will be open from April 3 to May 1, 2026 through the FSC Consultation Platform.
The consultation includes:
- General questions on the overall approach and clarity of the proposed requirements;
- Indicator-specific questions on management and monitoring requirements (for ADV-STD-60-004_02); and
- Targeted questions on the proposed thresholds, eligibility criteria, and applicability across different regions (for ADV-STD-20-007_18).
Participants are encouraged to provide both quantitative feedback (e.g. level of agreement) and qualitative input, including practical considerations, implementation challenges, and suggestions for improvement.
You can access both consultations in either English or French on the FSC consultation platform or through the link below.
- Consultation on draft Advice Note ADV-STD-60-004_02 V1-0
- Consultation on draft Advice Note ADV-STD-20-007_18 V4-0
Please contact the Policy Innovation team at policyinnovation@fsc.org for comments or questions.
Thank you in advance for your participation and contributions.