Tackling forest illegality in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific

Tackling forest illegality in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific

Successes, challenges and ways forward

Year of publication 2012

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 4p.

Publisher FAO/EU ;

Product type Document

Edition 1

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) Forest illegality occurs when forest products are harvested, transported, processed, bought or sold in violation of national or international laws, or when illegal deforestation takes place. It has been estimated that forest illegality costs governments more than US$10 billion per year in lost revenue. Corruption and poor governance provide an environment that perpetuates illegal behaviour. Inconsistent forest policies, unrealistic laws and insufficient institutional capacity to enforce them con tribute to illicit activities such as illegal logging. Other drivers include a lack of information about forest trends, as well as high demand for cheap timber in both domestic and export timber markets.

Language English

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Project

Contributing to Sustainable Forest Management and Poverty Reduction by Tackling Illegal Logging and Promoting Trade in Legal Timber Products - GCP/GLO/397/EC and GCP/GLO/600/MUL 2023

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Poor forest governance, unclear legal frameworks, weak law enforcement and demand for cheap timber and timber products all contribute to illegal practices in the forest sector. These practices jeopardize efforts to improve sustainable forest management (SFM) and have a significant impact on a country's ability to achieve broader sustainable development goals such as poverty alleviation, food security and climate change mitigation. As part of an effort to tackle illegal logging and associated trade, the European Union’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan was established in 2003 to help tropical timber producing countries establish and implement measures to promote trade in legal timber products. Under this framework, tropical timber producing countries and the European Union enter into Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs), bilateral trade agreements which commit to exporting only legal timber into European markets. In this context, the FAO EU FLEGT Programme provided technical support and resources for the negotiation and implementation of VPAs, while in countries not engaged in a formal VPA process, the Programme supported measures to improve law enforcement, timber legality assurance and overall forest sector governance.
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Tackling the trade in illegal timber: a comparative study of legal frameworks
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022

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Illegal logging and trade in illegal timber is a major cause of deforestation, which contributes to the global impact of climate change, depletion of natural resources and decreasing biodiversity, thereby frustrating efforts towards sustainable forest management. It further negatively effects countries’ socio-economic growth, food security, and poverty alleviation efforts, in particular local communities who depend on forests for their livelihood. Over the past years, major international markets have developed regulatory frameworks to combat illegal logging and associated trade. This comprehensive study provides an analytical framework for comparing requirements for timber legality and enforcement approaches and impacts of the laws in a range of timber-importing countries. Special emphasis is given to markets that have developed legal mechanisms and effective legislative options to combat the illegal introduction, import and trade of timber and other forest products. An in-depth analysis of case studies is undertaken to identify trends, emerging options or good examples, which could be used as reference or inspiration for developing effective legal frameworks and requirements on the legality of timber. This comprehensive overview and comparison of legislative approaches across regions intends to be a valuable information resource for researchers, policymakers, and timber trading companies, providing guidance on their compliance requirements. Keywords: timber legality frameworks, illegal logging ID: 3485653
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Compendium on experiences from the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) process in Central and West African countries
Accra (Ghana), 23 - 25 October 2012
2012

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French

Illegal logging results in serious environmental and social damage each year, costing governments an estimated US$10 billion in lost revenues. As a significant consumer of wood products, the European Union (EU) recognizes its shared responsibility with timber-producing countries to tackle illegal logging and trade in associated timber products. In 2003, the EU adopted an Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade(FLEGT) to promote better forest governance and block illegal timbe r from entering the EU market. Specifically, the Action Plan aims to: support timber producing counties to improve forest governance and develop governance mechanisms; develop activities to promote trade in legal timber; promote public procurement policies; support private sector initiatives; set up safeguards for financing and investment; use existing legislative instruments or adopt new legislation to support the effective implementation of the Action Plan; and address the problem of “confict timber”.