Development and Challenges of China’s Ecological Non-Commercial Forest Certification Policy

Abstract

Since its implementation in China, ecological non-commercial forest certification (ENCFC) has achieved certain ecological, social, and economic effects. In this study, we review domestic and foreign literature to examine the development of ENCFC in China, which is led and enforced by the Chinese government. We found that the ENCFC program is facing several key challenges, including insufficient compensation, single compensation fund sources, and a lack of post-certification evaluation and supervision systems. The government should introduce market mechanisms to optimize ENCFC and consider whether it is necessary to continue to expand the ENCFC program. In addition, more research is needed on the performance evaluation of ENCFC implementation.