TimberLex, the FAO online portal on forest-related legislation and timber legality

Lenci, D., Lindemann, H.

TimberLex, the FAO online portal on forest-related legislation and timber legality

XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022

Year of publication 2022

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 1p.

Author Lenci, D., Lindemann, H.

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Document

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) Illegal logging seriously undermines efforts to improve sustainable forest management, including efforts to avoid deforestation and forest degradation. As more timber producing and consuming countries enact requirements related to legal production and trade of timber, facilitating greater and easier access to legal information on timber would greatly contribute to demonstrating legality, thus reducing the incidence of illegal logging and contributing to the achievement of sustainable forest management.
In this context, the new FAO TimberLex database has been established as an open online resource to provide access to accurate, up-to-date and user-friendly legal information on forest management, timber production and trade from more than 50 timber-trading countries across regions. Country profiles are structured around a common format consisting of a set of Guiding Legal Elements for timber legality encompassing the different stages of the timber value chain considered as critical to the legality of timber. The database aims to serve more than one audience: (i) government officers (legislators, policymakers, forestry departments and law enforcement officers) which are mandated to play a role along the timber value chain; (ii) private sector producers and traders in timber producing and consuming countries; (iii) civil society and non-governmental organizations who will benefit from enhanced knowledge and capacity around timber-related legislation.
TimberLex ensures increased access to and understanding of national legal frameworks governing forestry and timber supply chains enabling more effective law enforcement from a plurality of actors nationally and internationally. This will facilitate national and international trade in legal timber contributing to curb deforestation and forest degradation. Keywords: Illegal trade, Policies, Governance, Deforestation and forest degradation ID: 3486224

Statutory body / Meeting title World Forestry Congress (WFC)

Language English

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Illegal logging is defined as the harvesting, transportation, sale or purchase of timber that violates international or national laws. It also encompasses violations in land use allocation agreements and permitting processes. When illegal logging activities occur, forests cannot be managed sustainably, which undermines major development objectives, including poverty alleviation, food security and climate change mitigation. This project was designed to combat illegal logging activities by enhancing the knowledge and building the capacities of stakeholders along the timber value chain in timber producing and consuming countries. This was done through the establishment of a user friendly database called TimberLex , which contains accurate and up to date information on timber legality and best international practices.
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