The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification system is recognized as the most rigorous forest certification framework internationally. After six years of effort, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA) obtained the FSC certification in 2024 for national forests with a total area exceeding 1.56 million hectares. The certified area accounts for more than 70% of Taiwan’s forest area, ranking first in Asia. Now, a further major breakthrough has been achieved. The Miaoli County Saisiyat Indigenous Peoples Forestry and Worker Limited Liability Cooperative (hereinafter referred to as Saisiyat Forestry Cooperative), under the long-term guidance of the FANCA, has just obtained FSC organizational membership, becoming the first FSC organizational member in Taiwan. Today (04/09), the FSC Regional Director for Asia-Pacific personally came to Taiwan to present the certificate, highlighting the fact that Taiwan’s sustainable forestry management has been recognized by international organizations. This accomplishment also serves as testament to the results of forest co-management between Taiwan’s indigenous peoples and the government working together, successfully expanded to the international stage. Past forest management policies failed to take into account the indigenous peoples’ right to use natural resources in their traditional territories, leading to estrangement and even tension between the government and the indigenous peoples. To reconnect the indigenous communities with the forests and rebuild the foundation of mutual trust between the government and indigenous peoples, the FANCA has been actively promoting the co-management of forests with indigenous peoples for nearly a decade. The FSC emphasizes that forest management must balance economic benefits, environmental protection, and social responsibility, and pays special attention to respect for and participation in the rights and culture of indigenous peoples. Therefore, the FANCA had decided to introduce the FSC certification to serve as the cornerstone of sustainable forest management and forest co-management together with indigenous peoples. In promoting the FSC certification, tribal community members were also encouraged to use traditional ecological wisdom combined with modern technology to make rational use of the natural resources found in national forests, thereby boosting the mountain village economy and improving the lives of the tribal communities. The FANCA stated that with this policy’s support and long-term assistance, the Saisiyat people of Nanzhuang started out with sustainable utilization methods such as under-forest beekeeping and gradually developed a diversified green forest industry. In 2019, the Saisiyat Forestry Cooperative was established. Based on the forest types found within the traditional grounds, the FANCA and the Saisiyat Forestry Cooperative adopted differentiated management strategies for natural and planted forests. Under the premise of sustainability, they have developed wood and non-wood forest products and incorporated ecotourism, forest therapy, and cultural experiences. By restoring endangered plants, recycling forest resources, and promoting local employment, forest ecosystem services are benefitting the community, creating a forestry governance and industry development model that practices nature-based solutions (NBS). The livelihoods of the indigenous communities have improved due to the forest resources, and in turn forest resources have seen more attentive care from the tribal community members, creating a new triple-win situation for the indigenous peoples, the government, and the forests. The forest co-management experience between the FANCA and the Saisiyat Forestry Cooperative in 2025 also attracted the FSC’s Global Network Director Lieske van Santen to lead key department heads to visit the Saisiyat community in Nanzhuang. She gave high praise, especially in terms of indigenous rights, local governance, and sustainable development, believing that this co-management initiative can be provided as a reference for other countries. The FSC Taiwan office then encouraged the Saisiyat Forestry Cooperative to apply for the FSC organizational membership. After the FSC’s acceptance and review process of the application, the cooperative successfully joined the world’s most influential forest certification organization, with members across 90 countries worldwide. In the future, the cooperative will be able to participate in international forest sustainability decision-making and topic discussions, thus leveraging Taiwan’s influence. On April 9, Cindy Cheng, FSC Regional Director for Asia-Pacific, came specially to Taiwan from Hong Kong to witness the presentation of the membership confirmation certificate to the Saisiyat Forestry Cooperative on behalf of the Forest Stewardship Council. Lin Hwa-Ching, Director General of the FANCA and long-term supporter of the tribal community, witnessed this occasion that marked the first time that the indigenous peoples of Taiwan had entered the international forest certification system as an organizational entity. China Airlines, an important partner of the Saisiyat Forestry Cooperative, was also specially invited to attend the certification ceremony. China Airlines has long supported the afforestation and trail maintenance in the forest recreation areas of Nanzhuang through donations and sponsorships. The invitation to witness this historic moment is proof of the concrete results of the joint efforts between the government, enterprises, and tribal communities in promoting sustainable forestry. Ms. Cindy Cheng emphasized, “Sustainability depends not only on systems, but also on people. Sustainability can only take root and flourish when local communities truly participate and speak out together.” Lin Hwa-Ching also expressed his hope that the Saisiyat Forestry Cooperative would actively participate in FSC-related meetings and platforms, share Taiwan’s experience in promoting forest co-management and sustainable forestry, and demonstrate to the world the soft power of Taiwan’s traditional indigenous wisdom and forest culture. The FANCA stated that it will continue to build an even closer partnership with the Saisiyat Forestry Cooperative, remain committed to connecting and promoting sustainable forest management in the Asia-Pacific region, and strengthen the influence of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples in international sustainable forest governance. The FANCA will continue to integrate the FSC system with natural carbon sink and biodiversity policies to promote diverse and innovative policy tools and jointly contribute key efforts to global sustainable development.
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