Public Consultation on the use of Global Forest Watch maps on Intact Forest Landscapes

Global Forest Watch (GFW) has regularly published satellite-based maps showing the rapid decline of Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) around the world since 2000. The latest update was released in 2025. FSC has used these maps since 2014 to help protect IFL core areas through strict rules. However, fixed protection thresholds have proved difficult to implement in practice. To address this, FSC members passed Motion 45 at the 2025 General Assembly, shifting the focus from fixed thresholds to outcome-based conservation of IFLs.

Under this new approach, IFLs identified as of 1 January 2017 are designated as ‘HCV 2 plus’ areas. This means that they require stronger management measures and more robust monitoring than other High Conservation Value 2 (HCV 2) areas, which are large landscape‑level ecosystems and mosaics.

FSC has now launched a public consultation on whether to revise or withdraw two key interpretations on the use of GFW maps for IFLs: INT-DIR-20-007_18 and INT-STD-60-004_05, included in FSC’s Forest Management Interpretations. This consultation follows the adoption of Motion 45 at the 2025 General Assembly.

The consultation is open from 2 July to 15 July 2026. Stakeholders are invited to submit their feedback through the consultation platform.

If you have any questions, please contact us at forestmanagement@fsc.org.