Timber council’s efforts lauded

1 (From left) Gunneberg, Yong and Freezailah at the MTCC’s Stakeholders Dialogue 2015.Gunneberg commended the MTCC for promoting tropical timber certification.2 Freezailah (centre) presenting a token of appreciation to Himmat as Yong (left) looks on.

The Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) has been instrumental in inspiring forest certification development in Asia, says Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) chief executive officer and secretary-general Ben Gunneberg.

Gunneberg, who was speaking at the MTCC’s Stakeholder Dialogue 2015 which was held in Kuala Lumpur, last week, emphasised that well-managed forests are vital for promoting and safeguarding rural livelihoods, and forest certification has proven to be an important tool in addressing issues related to deforestation, illegal logging and ensuring good forest governance.