Lessons and inspiration from Indonesia’s FLEGT experience

Indonesia was not the only one to celebrate its FLEGT licensing launch last year. Other tropical timber exporters engaged in the FLEGT VPA process en route to licensing welcomed the news too. They see Indonesia’s success not just as inspirational, but providing lessons from which they can learn. Mike Jeffree reports

Ghana visits Indonesia to learn FLEGT licensing lessons

With Ghana moving towards full implementation of its Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU on illegal logging, representatives of its forest sector stakeholders have visited Indonesia to learn about its experiences of reaching that goal.

Ghana champions rights and fair compensation for forest communities

Ghana’s work to promote the legal timber trade, in partnership with the European Union (EU), strongly emphasizes involving local communities who live in or near forests.

EUTR News – June to August 2017

This issue of the EUTR News provides an update on the operation of the EU’s law to address illegal logging, the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), from June to August 2017.

Analysis of gender impacts of the Ghana VPA with European Union

Fern commissioned this study of gender issues in Ghana’s FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement as a tentative first step to looking at gender issues which have to date received only scant attention.

Forest governance: how Indonesia and Vietnam are responding to illegal logging

Illegal logging and the associated trade is a major cause of deforestation and forest degradation globally. Indonesian and Vietnamese experts from the government, private and civil society sectors speak to Gitika Bhardwaj about the state of the trade in both southeast Asian countries.

VPAs give communities a confident voice

FLEGT VPAs are not just about delivering legal timber to the EU, but ensuring greater stakeholder participation in timber sector decision-making in supplier countries to the benefit of ordinary people. Mike Jeffree reports on progress in Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesia, Liberia and Vietnam.

Lessons learned from independent forest monitoring in Africa

The nongovernmental organisation Fern and its partners in four African countries have reported how independent forest monitoring has had positive effects on forest governance. In a new brief, they share stories of impact and lessons they have learned.

APEC customs officials learn best practices for detecting illegal timber products

More than 100 customs, forestry, and anti-corruption officials and civil society representatives from countries in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum met in Vietnam from 18-19 August 2017 to share best practices for identifying illegal timber and wood products.

World’s largest set of forest-related risk assessments online

NEPCon has published the biggest and most detailed set of risk assessments for timber, palm oil, soy and beef. Among other things, the Sourcing Hub is intended to help companies meet the due diligence requirements of market regulation such as the EU Timber Regulation. It includes assessments of the risks of illegal timber production and trade in 62 countries, covering 87% of global timber production.