Visit the forest with us

A selection of key studies that show the positive effects of FSC certification on biodiversity.

• Country‑level analysis in 91 nations (2008–2019) links greater FSC Forest Management areas to fewer threatened species.
• In Gabon and the Republic of Congo, FSC-certified forests have more large animals, including critically endangered species like gorillas and elephants, than forests without our certification. These certified forests have nearly three times (2.7) as many big mammals (weighing over 100 kg) compared to non-certified forests (Nature, 2024).
• In the Peruvian Amazon, a WWF study showed that FSC-certified forests have richer species like amphibians, insects, and monkeys than non-FSC working forests (2019).
• In areas of western Oregon, USA, around salmon-bearing streams, FSC standards require a much larger area – more than double the width – to be conserved when compared with the typical requirements for private landowners. These buffers help protect both threatened and endangered salmon, along with drinking water for people downstream.
• In Brazil, over 300 threatened species, including endangered monkeys, reptiles, plants, birds, and large mammals, have been identified in FSC-certified plantations and their set-asides (2024). 

In FSC-certified forests that measure biodiversity conservation through Verified Impact projects, forest managers are helping rare, threatened, and endangered species thrive. 

• 42% increase in the abundance of the endangered Huemul (South Andean Deer). Chile, 2013-19, FSC-C108276.
• 99% of the 51,000ha Ejido Nuevo Becal in Mexico is set aside for conservation. It includes Jaguar, King Vulture, and Tapir. Mexico, 2020-25, FSC-C130131.
• 200ha of rare and ancient Atlantic rainforest restored by replacing the last plantations with native woodland and conserving habitats for local butterflies, fungus, birds of prey, and some of the world’s rarest mosses and lichens. Ardura Community Forest, Scotland, 2023-28, FSC-C112410.
• 31.9% increase in conservation area with a focus on habitats of native and endangered species. Spain, 2024-29, FSC-C099970.
• 15,000 ha being restored to natural forest cover. Carbon Chestnut, USA, 2025-30, FSC-C180518. 

FSC-certified forests that measure carbon through Verified Impact projects show an increase in carbon stocks of up to an average of 10% per year.

• Cooperativa dos Produtores Agroextrativista Bailique, Brazil, 7 years, 5.7 % per year, FSC-C131371
• Concha y Toro, Chile, 5 years, 10.5% per year, FSC-C154029
• 2BForest, Portugal, 6 years, 6.6% per year, FSC-C135716
• Sunčane šume Ltd, Croatia, 11 years, 1% per year, FSC-C109807
• Fujian Province Shanghang Baisha National Forest Farm, China, 6 years, 3.4% per year, FSC-C181374
   

Did you see an FSC Ecosystem Services Claim or a claim about FSC Verified Impact? Would you like to learn more about that exact project? You can search for its FSC licence code in our Ecosystem Services Registry or FSC Search to learn more about the organization and why they can make this claim.

• In a Cambridge University study (2024), FSC achieved the highest score for human rights requirements among 12 forestry and fisheries certification systems analyzed
• A 2022 study found that FSC-certified Community Forests in Tanzania reduced gender inequality in well-being.
• An independent study in the Republic of Congo, Gabon, and Cameroon (2017) found that local communities working in certified forests often had better living conditions, and stronger health and safety measures in place compared to uncertified forests.