Certification under IFWCS-PRAMAAN assures Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) by being awarded only to forests and Trees Outside Forest (TOF) areas that effectively implement the prescribed criteria and indicators of SFM in their operations. This recognition reflects alignment with the IFWCS-PRAMAAN standards for Forest Management and TOF (Management) certification, thereby demonstrating responsible forest management and agroforestry practices.
Key Features of IFWCS-PRAMAAN
i. IFWCS-PRAMAAN aims to promote sustainable management of natural forests and Trees Outside Forest areas through market-based incentivisation of forest managers and tree growers who adopt sustainable practices.
ii. It ensures traceability and transparency of certified wood and non-timber forest products throughout the supply chain.
iii. It provides avenue for responsible sourcing to ethical businesses, ensuring compliance with international regulations, i.e. EU Deforestation Regulation.
iv. It can facilitate earning Green Credits for supplementary activities under India’s Green Credit Program through the PRAMAAN environmental label/ECOMARK.
v. It supports seamless trade of IFWCS-PRAMAAN certified products, mitigating illegal timber trade and meeting customer demands.
vi. IFWCS-PRAMAAN is in alignment with national and international goals, including increasing forest cover, carbon sequestration, and environmental conservation.
vii. IFWCS-PRAMAAN is not influenced by commercial interests and focused on delivering tangible verifiable sustainability results.
Types of Certifications
The IFWCS-PRAMAAN is designed to promote sustainable practices in the management of forest and trees outside forests in India. The following certifications are offered under the IFWCS-PRAMAAN:
a Forest Management Certification: Forest Management (FM) is the certification of recorded forest areas/forest plantations that have an approved working plan/working scheme prepared in accordance with the National Working Plan Code 2023, and their forest management practices comply with the requirements of the Indian Forest Management Standard (IFMS) and other relevant IFWCS-PRAMAAN standards. The Indian Forest Management Standard (IFMS) consists of 8 criteria, 69 indicators and 253 verifiers which have been derived from the Bhopal-India Process and have been inculcated into the NWPC 2023.
b Trees Outside Forest (Management) Certification: The TOF (Management) Certification is the assurance that the TOF area has an appropriate management plan/working plan/working scheme, and their management practices comply with the requirements of the Trees Outside Forests (Management) standard. The TOF (Management) standard has evolved from the Indian Forest Management Standard (IFMS) and consists of 5 Criteria, 22 Indicators and 76 Verifiers ensuring that the certification remains both comprehensive and simple for ordinary tree growers. The TOF (Management) Standard increases the applicability of IFWCS-PRAMAAN to a wider range of tree management scenarios in India.
c Chain of Custody (Management) Certification : The IFWCS-PRAMAAN CoC (Management) certification is the certification of the unbroken path taken by wood-based products or Non-timber Forest Products from the IFWCS-PRAMAAN certified forests, or Trees Outside Forests, to the point where the product is sold with an IFWCS-PRAMAAN claim and/or it is converted into a finished product (such as paper, furniture, handicraft, wood panels, herbal products) with a PRAMAAN label, in compliance with the CoC (Management) standard along with other standards under IFWCS-PRAMAAN. The obligations of the Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 on deforestation-free products (EUDR) have been embedded within the IFWCS-PRAMAAN CoC Certification standard, which ensures that wood and non timber forest products (NTFPs) such as paper, furniture, wood panels, handicrafts, herbal products, honey and others are sourced from deforestation free, legally harvested, and sustainably managed areas. Products meeting these conditions shall carry the IFWCS-PRAMAAN claim.
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Who can get certified:
| 1. | Forest Managers: State Forest Departments and Forest Development Corporations that manage public forests. |
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| 2. | Tree growers: Individual farmers or groups growing trees outside recorded forests, including agroforestry systems |
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| 3. | Wood and NTFP based industries: Industries producing and supplying wood and non-timber forest-based products such as Forest Development Corporations, FPOs, processors, and traders |
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| 4. | Exporters: Entities involved in the export of wood and non-timber forest-based products to international markets |
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| 5. | End-user: Entity that uses IFWCS-PRAMAAN certified products for their intended purpose |
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