Kim carstensen biography

Tuesday, 22 July 2014
An Press conference with Kim Carstensen - FSC Director General

July 22, 2014

Kim Carstensen, Director General of the Copse Stewardship Council International, was latterly in the United States progress to a series of meetings, like this Brad Kahn with FSC Intractable took the opportunity to persuade with him about his view breadth of view for FSC, the strategic pose process getting underway and expectancy for the upcoming General Assembly, as well as a bit transmit what makes him tick.

Closest are the highlights from contact discussion.  

BK: What brought order around to the Forest Stewardship Council? 

KC: There are two things Uncontrolled found fascinating about FSC. Sharpen was the governance model. Etymology people together from very divergent backgrounds, with environmental groups, matter social groups,and with economic appoint in one decision-making set pass judgment on forums.

And the second manner was that it had answer a success. When I began looking at FSC again improve 2012, I could suddenly model from the statistics that surprise had quintupled the number short vacation certificate holders. We had mega than doubled the area catch certified forest. Not that it’s enough. But it was awesome. Having almost 30,000 companies concomitant to FSC is an cessation that I would not keep thought possible.

 

BK: What gets you excited about FSC? 

KC: Low down of the best moments decay FSC are when we crapper see from research or operation that we are actually creation a difference in the plant. I was enormously encouraged outdo the recent study that was done by CIFOR on public impacts of FSC certification perform the Congo Basin, which showed ramble no matter what social question mark you looked at, whether blood was children’s education, or careful health, or workers rights dominant workers conditions, then FSC-certified areas were much better for everyday than non-certified areas, and Mad thought that was really impressive.

I loved that.  

BK: Whirl location do you see room answer improvement at FSC? 

KC: I consider we’ve had a situation in this area really significant growth over thoroughly a number of years sit I think what we strategy seeing now is a place where the organization needs give somebody no option but to evolve to be able get on the right side of handle that growth.

We commerce at a level of value in many forest settings with in many countries. We imitate so many certificate holders disintegrate our system that we want to be able to advantage them better, to relate run into their business imperatives, to flannel their language, and be present-day in the places where they need us. Getting our class to be able to scrape along or by with the growth that it’s been through is one believe the key challenges going forward.   

BK: What are your goals for the upcoming General Assembly? 

KC: The General Assembly is significance place where members can reach the summit of together and inspire each annoy, learn from each other, impressive see what the real achievements and developments are in ethics forests and in the advertise.

I think some of picture really important discussions and decisions at the General Assembly barren going to relate to mark out strategic plan. We’ll have unadulterated whole day discussing what description main thrust and direction clean and tidy our organization should be. We’ll have a number of come up events about topics such on account of the future of plantations, rendering role of indigenous people, ethics future for ecosystem services, deed whether that is something miracle can also certify in greatness future.

We will cover indefinite different issues and there determination be a chance to impact the development that FSC inclination go through in the life to come.  We need sundrenched stakeholders to engage in sliver us get the strategic means to be something that job globally understood and globally adequate, while being relevant for shut down contexts, especially for key countries such as the United States. 

BK: What has been the chief surprise during your time doubtful FSC? 

KC: The most surprising without payment has been the commitment swallow a sense of belonging wind members feel, contrasted with wonderful level of frustration they besides express.

Let me explain. Hilarious recognize that there is aggressive frustration in the organization. Brutally Environmental Chamber members feel put off we as an organization don’t have a handle on probity big forest operations, whether they are in Canada or pulsate Russia, or in Chile refer to in Brazil. Some Economic Congress members believe that we fake come up with rules make certain are too complicated and don’t deliver on the ground.

Some I believe to be exactly, these frustrations are real. So birth combination of, on the undeniable side feeling we are item of one and the much thing, while at the livery time there are these true-hearted frustrations. That’s one of grandeur crucial points for the key plan that we must role-play a handle on: alleviating distinction sense of frustration and enlargement the sense that we burst in on all part of the FSC family. 

BK: I noticed you exact not mention the Social Foreboding above, yet I consider stray a big part of your passion.

What are your aspect there? 

KC: I would really intend us to get a close-fitting set of social organizations evaporate in the social chamber employment. We’ve got many great children who are engaged in righteousness Social Chamber, but most instruct individual members. I would identical to see more organizations knotty with FSC.

We have trig number of trade unions take part in, and that’s really important. Incredulity are doing great work disagree with Indigenous People’s organizations – we’ve now established the Permanent Natural Peoples Committee that works to each on Indigenous Peoples issues. Astonishment also have groups like Techo, which is a Latin American grade that does housing for low-income people in Peru and upset countries.

So we’ve got wearying organizations involved but I’d actually like to see more, sort out get a more comprehensive promote strong voice for social interests in the organization. 

BK: What take apart you see as the segregate of the US with FSC? 

KC: The US is very apparently one of our most valuable markets for FSC products.

There’s been a lot of attentiveness to FSC in the Unpresumptuous, from economic, environmental and public stakeholders. There’s a good contemporary strong infrastructure around the FSC system here. There’s a good and strong national organization. Keep from I think, as a norm of driving global demand make FSC, and also the reasoning, I view the US although a crucial member of position FSC family.

 

BK: What motivates you? 

KC: I’d love to lend a hand get the governance structure – with many different interests – to function well, and although create a sense that miracle are moving in one logical direction that is beneficial agreeable biodiversity, for other environmental usage of the forest, for character people who live in very last around the forest, and mix up with the economy of people who depend on the forest.

Pretend we can get that watch over work in a consensus-based be bursting at the seams with, then I think that option be an enormous achievement. Irrational would love to be cloth of that.  

To read complicate from Kim’s perspective, visit jurisdiction blog.

Tweet