UNEP-WCMC reports on EUTR implementation

The UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) has published its latest briefing note on the implementation of the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR), which covers the period March to April 2019.

EU and Vietnam ratify agreement on illegal logging and trade in legal timber

The EU and Vietnam have ratified a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade, to address illegal logging and promote trade in legal timber products. The Agreement will take effect on 1 June 2019.

New resource for timber buyers on benefits of FLEGT-licensed products now available in French, Italian and Spanish

Timber buyers can now visit a new webpage in English, French, Italian or Spanish to learn about the business benefits of trading in FLEGT-licensed timber and the social, environmental and economic benefits that such trade brings to producer countries.

To legality and beyond — new resource for timber buyers on benefits of FLEGT-licensed products

Timber buyers can now visit a new resource to learn about the business benefits of trading in FLEGT-licensed timber and the social, environmental and economic benefits that such trade brings to producer countries.

How timber trade deal talks with EU improved governance in Guyana

The process of negotiating a timber-trade deal with the EU has improved forest governance in Guyana, and more gains are expected as implementation gets underway.

Global Timber Forum analyses gender in the wood processing sector of Ghana

A study commissioned by the Global Timber Forum reveals that women workers in Ghana’s wood processing sector are much less visible than their male counterparts yet are involved in multiple areas of the value chain. This involvement ranges from the administration, labour and through to acting as financiers of business.

Paradise lost: how China can help the Solomon Islands protect its forests

Our new investigation conclusively shows that tropical timber across the Solomon Islands is being harvested on an unsustainable scale, and that much of the activity driving this environmental destruction is at high risk of being illegal. If the growing degradation of the Solomon Islands’ tropical forests carries on unchecked, it will have a disastrous and irreparable impact on the country’s environment. The loss of this carbon sink would also have a significant impact on climate change.

Combating illegal timber trade: Promoting sustainable development and good governance

How can trade policies promote and support governance reforms in developing countries so that forest resources contribute to sustainable development? A panel discussion on the FLEGT initiative hoped to provide an answer to this question. The session, moderated by Jussi Viitanen, Head of the EU FLEGT and REDD Facilities at the European Forest Institute, took place at the recent WTO Public Forum in Geneva.

A Major Liability: Illegal logging in Papua New Guinea threatens China's timber sector and global reputation

A new report reveals that many forest operations in Papua New Guinea (PNG) violate the law, despite holding Government permits. PNG is China’s single largest supplier. By buying timber from PNG and exporting to markets that ban illegal timber imports, such as the European Union or the United States, China therefore risks damaging its reputation and major trade relationships.

With new government in place, Liberia meets EU to review VPA implementation

The Joint Implementation Committee overseeing the EU-Liberia Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on forest law enforcement, governance and trade has met for the first time since Liberia’s new government — including new Forestry Development Authority (FDA) Managing Director C. Mike Doryen — took office earlier this year.