Forest certification is voluntary. We recognise a growing demand for forest management certification and have taken proactive steps to implement Forest Stewardship Council [FSC] forest management certification in our forest operations.

Barama is the first company in Guyana to voluntarily undergo the very rigorous FSC-certification process. We have collaborated with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) since 2002 and the WWF has provided training and technical assistance to us in order to develop the social, economic and environmental aspects of our forestry operations in Guyana.

From February 17, 2006 to January 9, 2007, 570,000 hectares (or 35.4%) of our gross forest concession area of approximately 1.6 million hectares in Guyana was certified by the FSC. This was a significant milestone as it demonstrated the company's leadership in meeting FSC's sustainability criteria.

This voluntary certification, however, was temporarily suspended on January 9, 2007 following notification by independent assessors that there were five major corrective action requests (CARs) that needed rectification.

Barama and all parties involved are learning from the process. We look forward to reinstating the certification and are in ongoing discussions with all relevant parties, in working towards fulfilling the dynamic requirements of certification. Barama will continuously subscribe to FSC’s requirements and best practices in how our forest concessions are managed.

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