Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Forestry Certification on the Rise

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

TEGUCIGALPA, Jul 8 2006 (IPS) - Ten Honduran businesses are pioneers in forestry certification, a practice that is expected to gather strength by the end of the year, according to a program that has the government's backing. “Certification is a letter of presentation that allows me to show that my company protects the environment — an increasingly frequent demand in the international market,” Alejandro Arguello, of the lumber exporter Yodeco Honduras, told Tierramérica.

The company, which has been producing pine for more than 50 years, manages 25,000 hectares of forest, and has recently certified 13,900 hectares.

Adolfo Lemus, the Central American and Caribbean manager of Smart Wood, an international certifying entity, has seen strong interest in the region in obtaining forestry certification “because it is a demand of globalization and even of free trade agreements. He says 53 companies are already certified in Central America.