Indonesian forest monitors report on timber legality issues

Indonesia’s Independent Forest Monitoring Network (JPIK) says the country’s timber legality assurance system (SVLK) has led to “significant changes in improving good forest governance” but still has weaknesses and must be continuously improved to ensure its credibility and accountability.

EUTR Implementation: UNEP-WCMC releases Feb-March 2018 Briefing Note

The UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) has released a Briefing Note on developments relevant to the implementation and enforcement of the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR). The note, which covers the period from February to March 2018, was developed by UNEP-WCMC as a consultant of the European Commission in close cooperation with the competent authorities of the European Union (EU) Member States.

Why I’m cautiously hopeful about China’s efforts towards regulating timber imports

In 2012, when I first started researching China’s illegal timber imports, related news or information in Chinese was scarce. Six years on, however, a study co-authored by a Chinese government research institution offers a flicker of hope. China may be heading in the right direction and joining a growing global community who prohibit illegal timber imports by law.

Ghana, EU Progress on Implementation of their Voluntary Partnership Agreement

The aide memoire of the ninth session of the Joint Monitoring and Review Mechanism (JMRM), which took place on 27 and 28 February 2018, in Accra, Ghana, has been released.

Central African Republic and the EU release 2016 annual report on VPA progress

Central African Republic and the EU have released a joint report on progress in implementing the Voluntary Partnership Agreement in 2016. The report describes progress made with the timber legality assurance system, legislative reform, domestic market, institutional improvements, communication, transparency and monitoring of the agreement.

EU and China agree on their 2018 cooperation under the BCM

China and the European Union (EU) are strengthening their efforts to address illegal logging and promote legal timber trade through their Bilateral Coordination Mechanism (BCM) on Forest Law Enforcement and Governance. The 9th meeting of the BCM took place in Beijing, China, on 7 March 2018.

Greater participation of women for improved forest management in Liberia

An article published in Front Page Africa describes the progress made by Liberia towards good forest governance since the end of the 14-year civil war, highlighting the ‘gradual rise’ of women’s participation in the forest sector. The writer outlines the benefits of greater participation of women in decision-making processes related to forests.

IMM gathers feedback on FLEGT licensing

On 8 March 2018, the Independent Market Monitoring (IMM) organised the first Trade Consultation in London, United Kingdom (UK). The Consultation aimed to inform participants about the latest Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) developments, and to provide an opportunity for them to voice opinions about FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) processes.

Commentary: Ending deforestation requires these four actions

In a commentary published by Mongabay, ecologist Dan Nepstad underlines that without support to building strong institutions, ‘it may not be possible to further curb tropical deforestation.’ He writes: ‘governments control the biggest levers for influencing the decision that is made every year by millions of people who live in or work in tropical forests–to cut trees or not.’

UK operator fined for failing to exercise due diligence when importing timber

British timber operator Hardwood Dimensions (Holdings) Ltd has been fined for breaching regulations prohibiting the import and sale of illegally harvested timber. Hardwood Dimensions failed to check the legality of a batch of timber from Cameroon when placing it on the market, breaching regulations requiring businesses trading in timber and timber products in the UK to ensure that their products originate from legal sources.