FSC Ecosystem Services
FSC ecosystem services claims will increase the confidence of governments, investors, and buyers in ecosystem services markets. Ecosystem services claims can also be used to demonstrate the impact made by investments in preserving ecosystem services and contributions towards the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Ecosystem services claims for carbon capture and storage can also be used as evidence of contributions towards meeting commitments under Article 5 of the Paris Agreement under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
What is Ecosystem?
An ecosystem can be defined as a dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit.
What are the functions of an Ecosystem?
An intrinsic ecosystem characteristic related to the set of conditions and processes whereby an ecosystem maintains its integrity (such as primary productivity, food chain, and biogeochemical cycles). Ecosystem functions include such processes as decomposition, production, nutrient cycling, and fluxes of nutrients and energy. For FSC purposes, this definition includes ecological and evolutionary processes such as gene flow and disturbance regimes, regeneration cycles and ecological seral development (succession) stages.
Why Ecosystem Services Certification?
The Ecosystem Services Procedure provides you with the opportunity to verify specific positive impacts that your forestry activities are having on ecosystem services: biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration and storage, watershed services, soil conservation, and recreational services. You can use FSC trademarks to promote any verified impacts and seek rewards from your customers, investors, financial sponsors, users, etc.
Benefits of ecosystem services:
The benefits people obtain from ecosystems, include:
- Provisioning services such as food, forest products and water;
- Regulating services such as regulation of floods, drought, land degradation, air quality, climate and disease;
- Supporting services such as soil formation and nutrient cycling;
- Cultural services and cultural values such as recreational, spiritual, religious and other non-material benefits.
Ecosystem services claim
Assertion of a verified impact on ecosystem services, which can be used for the purpose of promotion or accessing markets for ecosystem services and may also be passed along the supply chain on sales and/or delivery documents of associated products.
