The seminar brought together forest managers (including SFE “Forests of Ukraine”), representatives of non-governmental organisations (WWF-Ukraine, NGO “Forza”, NGO “ForestCom”), research and educational institutions, and certification bodies. Their shared goal was to enhance expert and consultancy support for the implementation of the principles of responsible forest management.
Discussions confirmed that the implementation of the FSC Standard for Ukraine requires a systematic approach. As a global platform for consensus-building in the forest sector, FSC ensures a balance between environmental, economic, and social interests at different levels. However, its successful implementation would be challenging without the involvement of a qualified expert and consultancy support.
Oksana Pavlishchuk, Associate Professor of NUBiP of Ukraine and FSC Ukraine Consultant, emphasised: “The participation of experts and consultants in the FSC system contributes to the improvement of forest management practices and strengthens the quality of forest certification. For forest managers, the prospects in this area depend on consistency and systematic adherence to commitments and a focus on responsible management practices, while for experts, success lies in professional competence, impartiality, and readiness to invest their time and knowledge.”
Halyna Domashovets, Head of the Forest Certification Sector of the Department of Forest Management of the SFE “Forests of Ukraine”, highlighted the enterprise’s strong scientific potential – about 200 specialists with academic degrees in the central office and branches. This enables SFE “Forests of Ukraine” to independently identify and address the challenges of responsible forest management through a scientific approach, without necessarily involving external experts. However, cooperation with external consultants provides impartial evaluation and enriches practice with new approaches. The systematic nature of this approach is demonstrated by the implementation in 2025 of more than 20 scientific projects, three of which are directly aimed at developing methodologies for managing Representative Sample Areas of Native Ecosystems (RSANEs) and High Conservation Values (HCVs), and constitute the key elements of the FSC Standard for Ukraine.
Participants agreed that expertise is not an abstraction, but a practical tool for addressing complex challenges faced by the country's forest sector today.
Representatives of civil society organisations emphasised the critical role of independent monitoring as a mechanism for combating corruption and illegal logging. Dmytro Karabchuk, Executive Director of the NGO “ForestCom,” presented convincing evidence: the organisation’s work, including over 80 expert conclusions provided to law enforcement authorities, confirms that professional assessment is a prerequisite for legality and economic stability in the forest sector.
WWF-Ukraine carries out extensive expert work aimed at the protection of valuable forest ecosystems. Liudmyla Slominska, Forest Project Officer at WWF-Ukraine, presented the results of years of activity, noting that the organisation’s experts not only support the identification of various elements of the environmental values, but also developed recommendations for the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) to mitigate corruption risks in forestry. By facilitating opportunities – including financial ones – for forest enterprises to engage experts, WWF-Ukraine ensures access to qualified expert support for biodiversity conservation.
The open discussion also identified factors that hinder the development of the expert environment. Participants emphasises systemic obstacles, such as: disregard by some forest managers for independent monitoring, limited access to public information due to martial law, and the lack of willingness among some stakeholders to cooperate.
The discussion went beyond FSC certification, covering the development of the expert community in the context of EU integration and the implementation of requirements such as the EUDR. Participants acknowledged that expert and consultancy support is an integral component of responsible forest management, demonstrating adherence to FSC values and commitment to continuous improvement.
Summarising the event, Pavlo Kravets, FSC Ukraine National Representative, emphasised the important social role of experts and consultants: “In the current context of social mistrust regarding information about the state of forests and forest management in Ukraine, independent and impartial expert assessment can play a vital feedback role for the forest sector, serve as an additional channel for outreach and awareness-raising, and help improve the quality of public discourse through proven facts and arguments.”
More than 100 participants of the workshop recognised the importance of platforms for experience exchange among experts and consultants, promotion of their findings to a wider Ukrainian audience, and expansion of the community of like-minded professionals in the field of responsible forest management. The openness of all stakeholders – including forest enterprises, civil society organisations, research and educational institutions, and government authorities – to partnership in expert and consultancy support will contribute to the development and resilience of Ukraine’s forest sector in addressing modern challenges.