Deforestation places biodiversity under threat
Global Forest Watch estimates that the country’s total tree cover declined by 3.82 million hectares or 11% between 2000 and 2020, but responsible timber harvesting presents a significant potential revenue for forest-dependent rural communities - provided that sufficient stocks of large trees remain on village lands, and they can secure a fair price for the timber they sell.
Gettng a fair price for forest products, such as timber, is critical if communities are to reap maximum benefits from their forests. Competition from unregulated sources prevents rural communities from realising the true value of their timber.
FSC certification for rural communities
The Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative (MCDI) (FSC®C012607) has supported communities to obtain FSC certification, managing an FSC group certification scheme. It received the first FSC certificate issued for community-managed natural forest in Africa back in 2009 and to date twenty communities are participating in this scheme, with more than 277,000 hectares of forests certified to FSC standards.
By helping communities to unlock the value in local forests, MCDI is creating opportunities for rural Tanzanians to leverage forest resources as assets to pursue their own development aspirations. This is real empowerment and makes their approach unique compared to that of many other development NGOs. Rural communities themselves decide how to spend their forest revenues, whilst MCDI support this process by nurturing effective and transparent governance systems that promote community-wide engagement and benefit distribution. As a result, local income from timber has been used to improve social services and fund development projects with broad-based benefits for entire communities.
Supporting a sustainable trade
In addition to the FSC forest management certification, MCDI hold an FSC Chain of Custody certificate. MCDI supports certified communities to identify markets and buyers for their FSC certified timber. It also facilitates sales transactions by liaising with, and providing technical and logistical support to, the communities, timber buyers, and other stakeholders throughout the timber harvesting process and supply chain.
African blackwood
The African blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon) provides one of the hardest, densest, and most expensive timbers in the world. It is primarily used for making traditional instruments such as bagpipes and Uilleann pipes but is also suitable for clarinets and oboes. FSC certification allows products such as African blackwood, known locally as Mpingo, to be sold as having been legally felled from sustainably managed forests, differentiating them from products from deforested and degraded sources.
From their hands to yours
Supporting rural communities to realise the potential of their natural resources, whilst managing them to globally recognised standards, promotes both financial and environmental sustainability.
If you own a musical instrument made from wood, take a moment to consider from where it was sourced, the stories of the people who harvested it, and its journey from the forest to your home,