Biodiversity conservation through forest certification: key factors shaping national Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard-development processes in Canada, Sweden, and Russia

Our work focuses on the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), one of most stringent, but also contested certification schemes for sustainable forestry. Responding to criticisms concerning inconsistency at national level, FSC-International recently increased prescriptiveness its international standards, including development biodiversity-related International Generic Indicators (IGIs). We aim understand recent efforts in Canada, Sweden, and Russia revise national-level FSC standards line with IGIs. What were key factors influencing standard-development process outcomes? Were stakeholders satisfied negotiations what was finally achieved? The data drawn from semi-structured interviews participants, a comparative analysis indicators newly approved reports prepared by offices. applied Institutional Development Analysis framework within complex systems approach identify multiple interconnected that shaped processes outcomes each country. findings indicate despite persistent harmonize across all countries, there are number interrelated factors, which influence level. Four common clusters endogenous these countries: process-related actions, desired level control over outcomes, adequacy available knowledge about biodiversity. governance only cluster exogenous Sweden Russia, many identified as constraining emergence consensus-oriented negotiation process. enhance consistent performance forest biodiversity conservation require an improved understanding emergent products interactions between factors. This implies need greater focus management aspects during future negotiations.