A Greenpeace case study on FSC in Russia shows how the Dvinsky Forest intact forest landscape (IFL) in Arkhangelsk region, northwest Russia, is being destroyed, despite much of the area being formerly or currently FSC certified. With an area of just under one million hectares, Dvinsky Forest is well known for the same high conservation values that the FSC system pledges to preserve.
The world’s last large intact forest landscapes play a crucial role in mitigating climate change, conserving biodiversity, supporting the livelihoods of forest dependent peoples and providing ecosystem services. It is time for FSC to set clear thresholds for IFL protection.