WWF Wins Getty Conservation Prize for Global Eco-Labeling
12/18/97
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Headline: WWF Wins Getty Conservation Prize for Global Eco-Labeling
Source: World Wildlife Fund
Date: 12/18/97
Copyright: 1997 World Wildlife Fund
From the WWF website:
Getty Prize Background
Certified
Wood Directory
FSC Homepage
Harnessing Market Power to Protect The World's Forests
Forest Stewardship Council Wins Prestigious Getty Conservation Award For
Leading the Global Eco-labeling Revolution
Washington -- The world watched in horror over the past several months
as millions of acres of Indonesian and Brazilian rainforests went up in
flames, fueled in large part by rampant deforestation. For the past four
years, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has been promoting a
market-based answer to problems such as these -- environmentally
friendly timber certification.
In recognition, FSC has been awarded the 1997 J. Paul Getty Conservation
Award, a leading award for outstanding achievement in the conservation
of wildlife and its habitats. Created in 1974 by the late J. Paul Getty,
the prize has previously been awarded to such heroes as the guards who
risked their lives to protect rare mountain gorillas during Rwanda's
tragic civil war and legendary chimpanzee researcher Dr. Jane Goodall.
The Getty Prize is administered by World Wildlife Fund. The prize winner
each year is selected by a prestigious international jury.
"No other global organization has been as successful as the Forest
Stewardship Council in promoting participatory, consensus-based
approaches that use the power of the marketplace to encourage sound
forest management," said Kathryn Fuller, President of World Wildlife
Fund. "Through its first of a kind certification and labeling program,
FSC is helping to reduce mounting pressure on the world's forests from
unsustainable timber trade."
Five years ago, even the most conscientious consumer would have been
unable to tell whether the wood for a particular product was taken by
forest clearcutting or harvested sustainably from a well-managed natural
forest ems. Now, thanks to the efforts of FSC, consumers can reward good
forest management -- and in the process, help protect the world's forests
and the wildlife that depend on them.
More than 10 million acres of natural and planted forest in 12 countries
have been endorsed by FSC -- a volume that is expected to double over
the next several years. About 20 countries are in the process of
developing their own FSC-based standards.
In addition, forest-product buyers groups, representing some of the
world's largest retailers, have begun pledging to recognize only
products that are FSC-endorsed. The FSC label is becoming a guarantee to
buyers -- and to their consumers -- that a product was produced in a way
that maintains healthy, natural ecosystems. In November, the Certified
Forest Products Council was launched in the US, representing 140
corporate members - including The Turner Corporation, the nation's
leading general builder, and Habitat for Humanity, one of the nation's
largest homebuilders.
"When FSC was launched in 1993, we never imagined the success and
recognition it would attain around the world," said Dr. Tim Synnott,
Executive Director, Forest Stewardship Council. "The Getty Award is a
tremendous honor, and will help us continue expanding our work to help
protect the world's precious natural resources."