Using Forest Certification to Strengthen Rural Communities: Cases from Northwest Russia

Abstract

The rapid globalization of forest products markets has placed many rural forest-based communities under considerable pressure to rapidly exploit forest resources. To counter, transnational environmental organizations have promoted programs for forest certification, seeking to use global market forces to support environmentally and socially responsible forest management. This paper reports the impacts of the Forest Stewardship Council certification program on four rural communities in northwestern Russia. Drawing on network analysis, community studies methods and the concept of "social imaginaries", it finds that several variables can maximize positive outcomes for local communities. The most important variable is the degree of involvement by globally networked environmental organizations. Also important are the commitment of forest enterprises to certification, pre-Perestroika social structures in local communities, and local expectations about possible reactions of European consumers.

Keywords: Civil Society, Community, Ecolabels, Environmental Policy, Forestry, Governance, Green Markets, Institutionalization, Network Analysis, Nongovernmental Organizations, Social Imaginary, Sustainability