Sustainable forests, combating illegal logging

Tackling Illegal Logging - an update on progress

The Government is committed to sustainable forest management and is playing a leading role in international negotiations on forests in a number of fora, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), Forest Law Enforcement and Governance processes and the G8.

Illegal logging, however, remains a big problem as it:

• denies a livelihood to many poor people
• robs governments of billions of dollars (the World Bank estimates $10-15 billion each year)
• results in environmental degradation, and
• provokes and sustains conflicts in several parts of the world.

It is a consequence of poor governance, at local, national and international levels. The Government is playing a major role internationally to combat illegal logging and its associated trade, in addition to seeking to ensure that trade in timber species is conducted in compliance with CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, where relevant.

No single action can stop illegal logging. Combating it requires the simultaneous implementation of many policies and measures in and between those countries that produce timber and those that import it. Combating illegal logging and associated trade requires effort from both timber producing and timber consuming countries. Timber producing countries are responsible for defining and enforcing the national legislative and regulatory frameworks that define legality. We are helping them to do so effectively through regional Forest Law Enforcement and Governance processes.

Indonesia

The Government is concerned about illegal logging in Indonesia and we are working hard with the Indonesia Government to try to bring it under control. We are working with a range of stakeholders to develop a working definition of legality. This may sound straightforward but in Indonesia many laws govern different aspects of forests and forest industry and reaching agreement on an enforceable definition of legality is difficult. We have started the process of piloting verification schemes that will be needed to confirm compliance with legal requirements. Allied to this we are supporting efforts to restructure forest industry that will close down mills that rely on illegally sourced timber.

The UK timber trade is taking this seriously too. In June 2003, UK timber traders met with Indonesian suppliers in London to discuss common supplier assessments and third party auditing. Other countries are playing their part. China, Japan and Norway have signed Memorandums of Understanding with Indonesia that draw on that signed by Indonesia and the UK in 2002. Malaysia has taken action to stop the illegal import of logs and cants (roughly squared logs) from Indonesia.

Action at EU level

Under EU law, a ban on the import of illegally logged timber can only be imposed at EU level. We are therefore working actively within the EU where this is now being considered and showing leadership within the European Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) process. On this subject, the European Commission published a Communication containing a proposed FLEGT Action Plan on 21 May 2003. This aims to tackle illegal logging and its associated trade by addressing:

• development co-operation
• trade in timber
• public procurement
• private sector initiatives
• financing and investment safeguards
• money laundering and conflict timber

The plan includes the proposal to negotiate voluntary partnership agreements (VPAs) with timber producing countries. These agreements would set up a licensing scheme, underpinned by a new EU import Regulation, that would deny access to EU markets for illegally harvested timber from those countries.

The Communication requests endorsement from Council and the European Parliament to:

• Enter into negotiations for FLEGT VPAs with wood producing countries
• Present a Regulation setting up the voluntary licensing scheme, in conjunction with wide stakeholder consultation; and
• Review options for, and consider the impact of, further measures to support the Action Plan, including, in the absence of multilateral progress, the feasibility of legislation to control imports of illegally harvested timber, and report back to the Council on this work during 2004.
• Member States are also asked to identify relevant national legislation which could be applied to address the illegal logging issue, and to inform the Commission of their findings.

The Government is strongly supportive of the proposed Action Plan and wishes to see the Commission move the process forward. Furthermore, the Government will urge the Commission to carry out its assessment of the feasibility and impacts of options for additional legislation to control imports of illegally logged timber immediately.

The UK raised the subject of the Communication at Environment Council on 13 June 2003 with the purpose of flagging up this important issue to other Member States and urging the Presidency to facilitate full and early discussion in Council. Defra is the lead UK Government Department for negotiating on FLEGT in Europe and will continue to work with other Member States to ensure that the Commission is able to take its proposed Action Plan forward as soon as possible.

Government Timber Procurement Policy

Every Government Department is responsible for ensuring that their procurement activities comply with the requirement to actively seek to purchase timber from sustainable and legal sources.

This policy became effective in July 2000 and implementation has been closely observed by many interested parties. In April 2002 Greenpeace publicised the purchase of tropical hardwood for the refurbishment of 22 Whitehall. Immediately following that the then Environment Minister, Michael Meacher, wrote to central Government departments and asked that they review all their projects that involved timber to make sure the procurement policy was being implemented. That policy requires departments to demand independent verification of timber sources where there is any doubt over the evidence provided by suppliers to substantiate their claims.

The Office of Government Commerce also issued an information notice in November 2002 to Departments reminding them of the policy and enclosing model clauses for inclusion in their contracts. This made clear that anyone who is developing or managing a public private partnership, including PFI projects involving capital investment, should take account of the policy when writing their specifications. Departments are also required to report on their approach in the annual Sustainable Development in Government report published last November and available on the Government's Sustainable Development web site (www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/sdig/reports/index.htm).

On 5 June Greenpeace mounted a demonstration at 2 Marsham Street because the Government's contractor was using wood from Indonesia for temporary site works. On 6 June Defra wrote to central Departments to confirm that the policy extends to timber used by contractors while working on Government premises even if ownership of the timber remains with the contractor.

The UK was the first country in the world to set itself a timber procurement policy for Government buyers. It was and remains an ambitious target and we are determined to achieve it.

Link to FCO website (illegal logging)