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Control of Illegal Logging and International Trade in Illegally Logged Timber
Illegal logging and the international trade in illegally logged timber is a major problem for many timber-producing countries in the developing world. It causes environmental damage, costs governments billions of dollars in lost revenue, promotes corruption, undermines the rule of law and good governance and funds armed conflict. It retards sustainable development in some of the poorest countries of the world. Consumer countries contribute to these problems by importing timber and wood products without ensuring that they are legally sourced. In recent years, however, producer and consumer countries alike have paid increasing attention to illegal logging.
Since 2002 the Energy, Environment and Development Programme, with the support of the UK Department for International Development has provided support and assistance for ongoing UK and EU initiatives on the control of illegal logging and international trade in illegally logged timber through convening workshops and discussion meetings as well as publishing numerous workshop reports and policy briefs and providing a central information point on initiatives aimed at controlling illegal logging.
Illegal Logging Website
The Programme set up and maintains a dedicated website to provide background information on the key issues in the illegal logging debate, together with news stories, information on events, key documents and links to other relevant websites. Please visit www.illegal-logging.info.
Social Criteria in Timber Procurement Policies
The inclusion of social criteria in timber procurement policies is a complex and controversial issue in the debate around the exclusion of illegal and unsustainable timber and timber products from consumer markets. Those countries which have so far adopted procurement policies for legal and sustainable timber differ in the extent to which they have included social criteria. In addition, the major certification schemes, on which several procurement policies rely, also differ in the social criteria which they recognise.
It is inevitable that pressure will grow for timber procurement policies, and certification schemes, to specify social criteria, and it is timely, therefore, to look at what these social criteria might be and how they can be assessed. With this in mind, with sponsorship from the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), Chatham House is producing a 50-60 page report on the subject. This is currently in draft form after three rounds of expert consultation; the final report will be available in the autumn.
Recent Papers
Controlling Illegal Logging: Using Public Procurement Policy
Duncan Brack, June 2008
Local Government Timber Procurement Policies: Case studies from the North East and Yorkshire & the Humber
Duncan Brack, August 2007
Illegal Logging (revised from Aug 06)
Duncan Brack, July 2007
Controlling Illegal Logging: Lessons from the US Lacey Act
Duncan Brack, July 2007
Recent Meetings
Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation
9-10 June 2008
Forest Governance International Stakeholder Update
17-18 January 2008
Contact
Duncan Brack, Associate Fellow, EEDP
Jade Saunders, Associate Fellow, EEDP
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