The COVID-19 pandemic is linked to agricultural intensification, increasing population and its associated changes, exploitation of the environment and hence nature losing its biodiversity. It has helped us realize that biodiversity needs to be maintained to support the lives and livelihoods. We have seen unusual disruption seriously impacting lives and livelihoods.
Forests are very critical for alleviating effects of climate change and natural disasters. They also contribute to our economy, and are a prime support to millions of livelihood. Forest Certification is an emerging Global movement to promote the sustainable management of forests/trees. NCCF is a registered society which works in policy advocacy, training and capacity building through multi-stakeholder engagement.
The experts and professionals of NCCF are engaged in promoting exchange of knowledge to enhance understanding about certification and conservation of trees, forests and agro-forestry development of India. They have developed the first ever Indian scheme of forest certification that is endorsed by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), giving it global recognition.
They also make certification accessible to small holders to enable benefits to local communities by the tapping of their own entrepreneurship. NCCF includes Non Wood Forest Products, Protected Areas and Wetlands, Ecotourism, Quality Planting Material and Biofuels.
Land Degradation Neutrality, Carbon trading and a tracking platform for Greenhouse Emissions is also in focus.
NCCF is developing an Indian Certification Scheme and Standards: “Safeboards scheme that will provide value-addition to the composite-wood manufacturers and health benefits to the people using composite wood, wooden interiors, panels and furniture. The Scheme will focus on the technical criteria and safe levels of toxic emissions of formaldehyde from the composite wood products. This scheme will be an indigenous and internationally benchmarked for use in sustainable/low-emitting furniture products, handicraft items and other interior products.
NCCF is also setting up an India Centric voluntary carbon offset market mechanism - the Carbon Registry-India (CR-I), the first in India to provide listing services for the Greenhouse Gas projects and providing a trading and tracking platform for the verified GHG emissions reduction and/or removals enhancement projects, issuance of net GHG emission reduction units and approval and adoption of new quantification and monitoring methodologies, applicable to Indian territory and anywhere across the globe.
The ‘Carbon Registry-India’ (the Registry) would help in achieving NCCF’s aspirational goal of combating climate change and will serve as a platform for registration of projects, issuance of carbon credits & approval and listing of project-based methodologies.
