Box 2. Areas of high and low risk of encountering unacceptable practices

Areas with higher risk of encountering unacceptable practices require more due diligence and more detailed information than areas with lower risk.

High-risk source areas may include:

• Areas that have unique ecological and socio-cultural features (special places).

• Areas of political and social conflict.
• Areas where avoidance and violations of workers and/or indigenous rights are known to be high.
• Areas where the incidence of forestry-related illegal activity is known to be high.

Low-risk source areas may include:

• Sites that have been independently certified to appropriate credible standards. Not all certification labels are perceived by all stakeholders to offer the same level of protection against the risk of sourcing from controversial and unwanted sources.
• Sites where there are no ownership disputes or clear processes to resolve them fairly, and where illegal activity in the forestry sector does not typically occur.
• Areas known to have low corruption and where law enforcement exists.