FSC National Forest Stewardship Standard of Mexico Published

The standard becomes effective on 15 October 2021.

Mexico's FSC National Forest Stewardship Standard (NFSS) was adapted to a national scale to reflect the diverse legal, social, and geographic conditions of forests and plantations in Mexico.  The standard can be used by all types of organizations working in natural forests and plantations in Mexico, including small and low intensity managed forests (SLIMF) and is applicable to a large group of non-timber forest products such as Candelilla wax, Nopal, Pine Resin, Bamboo, and others (See section ¨2.2 Scope¨ for more details). 

The revision process of the NFSS of Mexico started in 2015 and mainly focused on:

• the adaptation to the FSC Principles and Criteria version 5-2;
• the inclusion of indicators related to the identification of rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities;
• the inclusion of indicators to promote gender equality in employment practices; and
• indicators to protect environmental values, Conservation Area Networks and High Conservation Values.

A chamber-balanced standard development group conducted the revision following a multi-stakeholder engagement process. The revised NFSS was passed through field testing and stakeholder involvement to ensure its applicability.

The FSC Forest Management standard will contribute to promote responsible forest management in both community-owned productive forests (indigenous communities, ejidos and smallholders) and private sector plantations, while contributing to livelihoods, income generation and employment for local and indigenous communities. It will also contribute to the conservation of natural ecosystems and wildlife habitats, including threatened and endangered species, and protect water sources in managed areas.

For any queries on the revised standard, please contact Mr. Luis Alfonso Argüelles Suárez, FSC Standard Development Group Coordinator: a.arguelles@mx.fsc.org / mexico@fsc.org.

The National Forest Stewardship Standard for Mexico (Spanish version) can be consulted in the FSC Document Centre.