Target 12: Sustainability

30 Per Cent of Plant-Based Products Derived From Sources That are Sustainably Managed

Plant-based products include food products, timber, paper and other wood-based products, other fibre products, and ornamental, medicinal and other plants for direct use.

Sources that are sustainably managed are understood to include:

Natural or semi-natural ecosystems that are sustainably managed (by avoiding overharvesting of products, or damage to other components of the ecosystem), excepting that commercial extraction of resources from some primary forests and near-pristine ecosystems of important conservation value might be excluded.

Sustainably managed, plantation forests and agricultural lands.

In both cases, sustainable management should be understood to integrate social and environmental considerations, such as the fair and equitable sharing of benefits and the participation of indigenous and local communities.

Indicators for progress might include:

Direct measures e.g.: products meeting relevant verified standards (such as for organic food, certified timber, and intermediate standards that codify good practices for sustainable agriculture and forestry);

Indirect measures e.g.: products from sources considered to be sustainable, or nearsustainable, on the basis of farming system analyses, taking into account the adoption of integrated production methods. Assessment of progress will be assisted by the development of criteria and indicators of sustainable agricultural and forest management.

Certified organic foods and timber currently account for about 2% of production globally. For several product categories, examples exist of 10–20% of products meeting intermediate standards. Against this baseline, the target is considered to be attainable. It would be applied to each category of plant-based products, understanding that for some categories it will be more difficult to reach and more difficult to monitor progress. Implementation would require a combination of product-specific and sectorwide approaches, consistent with the Convention’s programme of work on agricultural biodiversity.

Useful Documents

Background Paper for the implementation of Target 12: 30 per cent of plant-based products derived from sources that are sustainably managed .(PDF)

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International Tropical Timber Organisation
ITTO represents the reconciliation of the fact that the rate of deforestation occurring in many tropical countries is alarming but that the tropical timber trade is one of the keys to economic development in those same countries. It is unique in being both a trade and an environmental organisation.

ISSC MAP
The International Standard for Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants is an attempt to bring better regulation to a growing problem of the harvesting of wild plant species for medicine. The document is still being developed and input from stakeholders is welcomed.

Forest Stewardship Council
In many forests globally, logging still contributes to habitat destruction, water pollution, displacement of indigenous peoples, and violence against people who work in the forest and the wildlife that dwells there. Forest Stewardship Council certification is one way to improve forestry practices.

Facing Sustainability
Sustainability means leaving a world for future generations that is environmentally, socially and economically intact. Many people are active for these goals every day all over the world. With the international "Facing Sustainability Award" photographers showed us these people and their stories.

Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
The objectives of FAO regarding PGRFA are to ensure the safe conservation and promote the availability and Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources, for present and future generations, by providing a flexible framework for sharing benefits and burdens.

European Forum on Urban Forestry
The European Forum on Urban Forestry is an unique venue where urban forestry professionals meet scientists and policy-makers within the field. The forum meets yearly, hosted by one of the members. The forum is organised by EUFORIC, the European Urban Forest Research and Information Centre.

The Poverty / Conservation Equation
The Nature Conservancy increasingly recognises the need to take account of the links between poverty and conservation. Its summer 2006 newsletter presents a series of interesting and accessible articles, by respected authors, that discuss if conservation is relevant to the poor and vice versa.

UN Food and Agriculture Organisation
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO helps countries to modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices to ensure good nutrition for all.

Millennium Seed Bank Project
The Millennium Seed Bank Project is an international collaborative plant conservation initiative. This worldwide effort aims to safeguard 24,000 plant species from around the globe against extinction. It has already successfully secured the future of virtually all the UK's native flowering plants.

Biodiversity and the Precautionary Principle: Risk and Uncertainty in Conservation and Sustainable Use (Dickson & Cooney, 2005)

The Precautionary Principle entails acting to avoid serious or irreversible environmental harm, despite lack of scientific certainty. This book is the first to examine its application to conservation and biodiversity management, studying impact on both natural resources and livelihoods.

"Education for Sustainable Development: Guidelines for Action in Botanic Gardens"

BGCI has published Guidelines on Education for Sustainable Development. Suitable for those working in botanic gardens and other site-based education centres, it features tips and case studies from botanic gardens around the world. The Guidelines are freely available to all in PDF and printed format.

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