CONTRIBUTION OF FOREST CERTIFICATION IN THE ATTENDANCE TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL LEGISLATION IN MINAS GERAIS STATE

In the last decades, the greatest environmental preoccupation is having a repercussion in several sectors of the economy and how the products are being evaluated by the consumers. Specifically to forest products, the market began to require guarantees that they weren't derived from illegal activities. One of the instruments developed for this purpose was the forest certification, represented in Brazil by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and CERFLOR systems. This certification, besides attesting the system of forest management operation also requires compliance with the laws prevailing in the country. Brazil, despite having an environmental having an environmental and labor legislation fairly complete has, in general, difficulty in their effective enforcement. In forestry organizations, the picture is not different because the legal issues were one of the main differences in the certification reports. The present study aimed to verify the contribution of forest certification in Minas Gerais state with regard to aspects of conformity to environmental and social legislation. For this, were sought the data in the public reports of the management units certified by FSC until December 2008. The analysis had focus on two of the ten FSC principles: Principle 1 - "Compliance with laws and FSC principles and criteria" and principle 4 "Community relations and workers rights". The results indicated that the principal problem in the legal ambit was the noncompliance of environmental legislation, specifically related to permanent preservation areas and legal reserve. Already the most reported social questions refer to the requirements of health and safety of work, in special to the regulatory norm NR-31. To obtain and keep the management certificate is required that all the nonconformities are treated in order to be corrected. Thus, was concluded that forest certification is a mechanism that effectively contributes to the compliance of environmental and social legislation in forest sector in Minas Gerais state.