Advice Note published protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and in Initial Contact

FSC has published the Advice Note for Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and in Initial Contact (IPVIIC) in Peru. The Advice Note is effective from 12 March 2026. It applies to any person or entity applying for or holding FSC Forest Management Certification in Peru when operating in or near areas connected to IPVIIC. Find the Advice Note on page 51 in the FSC Directive on Forest Management Evaluations here.

The Advice Note provides direction for certification in situations where the current Peruvian Forest Stewardship Standard does not offer sufficient guidance. The advice note addresses, in particular, the ongoing conflicts in areas where certified concessions overlap with traditional IPVIIC territories and is based on the results of an investigation commissioned by FSC and conducted by Assurance Services International. Certified forestry concessions will no longer be allowed to have any overlap with Indigenous Reserves, nor to exert any forest management activities in areas that are in the process of being established as such reserves. The advice note further specifies comprehensive precautionary measures for forestry concessions in the direct neighbourhood of Indigenous Reserves.

Background

Protecting, respecting, and upholding the rights of Indigenous Peoples is an integral component of the FSC systems. To achieve this, FSC has embedded the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) at the core of FSC’s normative framework, thereby emphasizing the importance of engagement, involvement, and consent of rights holders, including Indigenous Peoples. 

However, this principle cannot be applied in the context of Indigenous Peoples living in Voluntary Isolation (IPVIICs) due to their right and decision to remain uncontacted. This represented a gap in FSC’s normative framework, which FSC is actively working to bridge through the development of this advice note. FSC is committed to taking decisive action to safeguard the territories of IPVIICs and uphold the principle of no contact.

Public consultation held

A public consultation on the Advice Note was held from 12 September to 12 October 2025. A public webinar series was held, which included a webinar specifically for Peruvian organizations and interested stakeholders. Read the Consultation Report here.

Next Steps

The indicators from the Advice Note will be included in the next version of the FSC Forest Stewardship Standard for Peru. A global Advice Note is currently in development to protect IPVIIC in countries beyond Peru as an interim measure while the PCI is being revised.  Further protecting the rights of IPVIIC in the FSC system across all relevant countries will be embedded into the next set of FSC Principles, Criteria, and International Generic Indicators currently being revised. Learn more here.