Interactions with interested stakeholders in accordance with the FSC National Forest Stewardship Standard of Ukraine

Abstract

The relevance of the research is determined by the entry into force of the‌ ‌FSC‌ ‌National‌ ‌Forest‌ ‌Stewardship‌ ‌Standard‌ ‌of‌ ‌Ukraine‌, part of which is the requirements for ensuring effective public relations. Accordingly, the study outlines the rights of interested stakeholders and affected stakeholders defined by the FSC national standard for the transparency and openness of the forest certification process.

Achieving the aim has led to the use of analysis, synthesis and comparison methods to make reasonable conclusions about the rights of interested and affected stakeholders defined by the requirements of the FSC national standard, and about the mechanism of their practical implementation in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine.

The research determined that the FSC standard requirements provide for both appropriate informing and engagement of interested and affected stakeholders in forest decision-making at the planning, implementation and monitoring of management activity. The FSC-defined rights of these stakeholders do not contradict the laws of Ukraine and in some cases impose additional voluntary obligations on FSC certificate holders.

It has been found that forestry enterprises shall engage interested and affected stakeholders on the scope that their activities impact the rights of those stakeholders. That is, these stakeholders can require the exercise of their legal rights but cannot require the suspension or revocation of a permit to conduct management activities of the enterprise.

Key areas of informing and engagement of interested and affected stakeholders, in accordance with the FSC national standard, related to avoiding negative social, environmental and economic impacts of management activities, supporting opportunities for local social and economic development, dispute resolution process, and assessment, maintenance and monitoring of High Conservation Values, protection sites which are of special cultural, ecological and other importance.

It is justified that the FSC national standard does not specify the ways of informing or forms and means of the engagement of interested and affected stakeholders in forest decision-making but emphasizes their reasonability to achieve the goals.

The perspective for further research is to justify mechanisms to increase public participation in forest certification processes and the most effective ways of informing and engaging them in forest decision-making process.

Keywords: FSC criteria and indicators, forest certification, informing, engagement, publicity, planning and monitoring of activities, legal right, legal requirements.