The high conservation values technical working group (HCV-TWG) has developed the High Conservation Values (HCV) Manager’s Guide and a set of intact forest landscape (IFL) indicators in response to Motion 65 of the 2014 FSC general assembly. The Guide clarifies specific requirements for the identification, management planning, operations, monitoring, and restoration of HCV in FSC-certified forests. The IFL indicators have been developed for inclusion in FSC’s set of international generic indicators (IGIs). The revised draft of the Guide and the IFL indicators will be released for public consultation from 3 May until 2 July.
The HCV-TWG met first in Bonn, Germany from 6–9 October 2015 (see https://ic.fsc.org/en/news/technical-updates/id/1294). After this meeting, it continued working via electronic communication. It met virtually several times in 2016 and has now produced two draft documents.
FSC’s IGIs were written for standard development groups working on developing FSC national standards that conform to the latest version of FSC’s Principles and Criteria, and became effective on 1 September 2015. The current consultation concerns a revision of the approved IGI document that introduces new elements on IFLs, which has been carried out by the HCV-TWG.
The changes, edits and new content are shown as tracked changes so that stakeholders can easily see what is new to the document.
Given the need for alignment between the HCV guidance, IFL indicators, and several other initiatives, targeted consultation will be conducted in parallel with four key stakeholders: the HCV resource network, the FSC permanent Indigenous Peoples committee, and the FSC ecosystem services and controlled wood programmes. These consultations will further support the development of the document, clarifying such issues as the meaning of the terms ‘indigenous cultural landscape’ and ‘critical ecosystem services per HCV 4,’ as well as what qualifications team members need for conducting assessments.
The HCV-TWG will meet again in Bonn, Germany from 11–15 July 2016 to address the findings of the public and targeted consultations, and to review and revise the guide.
All information – the comment form and the draft that was released for consultation – can be found here.