Last Friday signalled the end of the public consultation period on the first draft of the FSC Australia Forest Stewardship Standard. We are still accepting some submissions, so if you would like input please contact dmackey@fscaustralia.org ASAP.
For more details on the current timeline please go to: http://au.fsc.org/national-standard-development.300.htm
We have received plenty of responses so far. Based on some commentary so far it appears aspects of the consultation process need to be improved or at least streamlined somewhat.
One key part of this was the size of the spreadsheet put forward as the form for providing input.. The spreadsheet represented an attempt to be as open and transparent as possible
- make it easy for stakeholders to compare the original IGI with the corresponding indicator in the standards draft.
- allow stakeholders to view the IGIs notes that correspond with each indicator.
There was also an attempt to ensure that it would be easy to collate the information received and make it as consistent as possible for comparison's sake. As such the spreadsheet was designed in such a way to only include commentary on indicators and notes as these are the ONLY parts of the standard that the standards development group is able to change or draft. The Principle and Criteria are mandated at the international level so as to consistently applied around the globe.
It turns out the that the spreadsheet seemed to work better on some systems than others, and the size was a bit of a hassle. This feedback has been heard loud and clear, and the approach will be tweaked in the next round.
If you would still like to provide feedback or find out how to participate further please contact dmackey@fscaustralia.org