SYLLABUS

GS-3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Context: The first PRAMAAN certificates under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS) were presented in New Delhi, marking the transition of India’s forest certification framework from policy formulation to field-level implementation.

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• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change presented the first PRAMAAN certificates at an event organised by the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal, the operating agency of IFWCS.

• The certificates were awarded to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation (APFDC) for plantations covering 33,000 hectares, and to Govind Mahapatra, a bamboo farmer associated with the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency (OBDA).

• The certified plantations and farming activity underwent field and management audits before certification, demonstrating the operationalisation of the certification framework launched in December 2023.

About the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS)

• The IFWCS, launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in December 2023, is a voluntary, third-party certification scheme aimed at promoting sustainable management of forests, agroforestry and responsible practices in the wood-based sector.

• It provides market incentives to entities following responsible forest and agroforestry practices, including State Forest Departments, Forest Development Corporations, farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and wood-based industries.

• The scheme has three major certification components:

• Forest Management Certification – for recorded forest areas and forest plantations.
• Trees Outside Forests (TOF) Management Certification – for agroforestry systems and private plantations.
• Chain of Custody (CoC) Certification – for ensuring traceability of timber and non-timber forest products through the supply chain.

• The Indian Forest and Wood Certification Council serves as a multi-stakeholder advisory body for the scheme.

• IIFM, Bhopal is the scheme’s operating agency, while certification bodies carrying out independent audits are accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) under the Quality Council of India (QCI).

About the PRAMAAN Certificates

• PRAMAAN stands for Programme for Recognition and Accreditation of Sustainable Management Practices for Agroforestry and Natural Forestry Resources. 

• It is the certification framework under IFWCS for forests, wood and non-timber forest products, aimed at improving their linkage with domestic and international markets. 

• Certification is based on independent third-party audits, rather than self-declaration alone. 

• The Indian Forest Management Standard comprises 8 criteria, 69 indicators and 254 verifiers.

• Certification is valid for five years, subject to annual surveillance audits to verify continued compliance with the prescribed standards. 

• PRAMAAN’s accreditation architecture is benchmarked against international certification frameworks, supporting recognition among domestic and global buyers and regulators. 

• The IFWCS Guidelines also provide a linkage with the Green Credit framework for eligible environmental activities; however, PRAMAAN certification itself should not be described as an automatic grant of Green Credits.

Significance of PRAMAAN Certification

• Global market access: Helps Indian producers and exporters demonstrate sustainable and traceable sourcing amid emerging due-diligence and deforestation-free timber requirements in international markets. 

• Credible sustainability verification: Independent audits provide greater assurance than voluntary self-declaration.

• Farmer and livelihood opportunities: Certification can connect smallholder farmers, rural and tribal communities, forest-dependent communities, women Self-Help Groups and marginal landholders with structured and potentially premium markets. 

• Traceable supply chains: CoC certification strengthens traceability of timber and non-timber forest products from source to customer.

• Sustainable forest-based economy: PRAMAAN links ecological stewardship, responsible production and market opportunities, supporting sustainable management of India’s forests, agroforestry systems and wood-based industries.