What do criteria and indicators assess? An analysis of five C and I sets relevant for forest management in the Brazilian Amazon

The diversity of criteria and indicators (C and I) sets is often a cause for uncertainty and confusion, and probably one of the reasons for the still unsatisfactory acceptance of C and I as a support for implementation of sustainable forest management. In order to address this erosion of confidence in C and I this paper evaluates the diversity of five C and I sets (CIFOR, ACM, FSC, ITTO and Tarapoto) relevant for the Brazilian Amazon by analysing frequencies of C and I in relation to parameters about content and quality. The study demonstrated that the C and I sets, although addressing the social, technical, ecological and economic dimensions of sustainability, exhibit different thematic foci. A general lack of validity was attested as well as missing specificity and practicability of the indicators. In order to increase objectivity and transparency, the C and I have to reflect more clearly and unambiguously what is actually assessed. It is recommended to include a discussion about verifiers and assessment methods in the development of C and I sets. To avoid misunderstandings and to introduce the possibility for less complex and more practicable C and I sets, the authors recommend constriction of the objective of the assessment to more clearly serve the potential clients and frame-conditions for its application.