Illegal logging
What’s the problem?
The world’s huge demand for timber and paper products has led in some places to increasingly unsustainable forest management – removing too many trees too quickly or logging entire forests. In order to provide a future for species and sustain natural forests – as well as ensuring wood resources into the future – there are now laws to control logging in key areas and stop trade in products from illegal sources. Unfortunately, these laws are often broken.
Illegal logging poses a serious threat to forests, people and wildlife. It puts pressure on all the forests WWF works in, whether in South America, central Africa or Indonesia. It contributes to global deforestation and climate change. It threatens many species with extinction. It denies access to resources for forest-dependent communities.
Illegal logging undermines legitimate business by undercutting timber companies that act responsibly. It diverts income away from sustainable development. It causes social conflicts and financial losses for forest-rich developing countries. Illegal logging is often linked to organised crime, money-laundering and civil wars.
Unbelievably, the illegal timber trade is still active in the UK and across the EU. A recent WWF report found that the UK is the EU’s second-largest importer of illegal timber.
This means that when you go shopping for paper or furniture, or buy something with cardboard packaging, or even do DIY using wood products in your home, you could be inadvertently encouraging illegal logging in pristine forests around the world – and impacting on the species and communities that rely on them.
Choosing wood products with FSC certification can help to combat this, but we believe EU policy also plays a critical role in tackling the illegal timber trade. We’ve been among the strongest campaigners on this front for several years, and we recently got some reward for those efforts…
Good news: a new EU timber law, July 2010
Back in 2009, thousands of WWF supporters got involved with our campaign for a strong EU law on illegal timber. And now, after much debate, the European Parliament has voted to ban illegal timber from the EU market and make the timber industry responsible for proving that the timber they are trading is legal.
This is a great success story and we want to say a huge thank you to all of you who supported the campaign. This new law will drive positive change in the timber industry and help increase demand for legal and certified timber – which will ultimately mean more protection for forests and people in developing countries.
The new law is far from perfect, though. It won’t come into force for two years, and it exempts printed materials for at least five years. And it doesn’t set out minimum penalties and sanctions, which we believe should have been included. So there’s work to be done – but it’s a huge step forward.
How you can help stop the illegal timber trade
Whenever you buy wood or paper, look for the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) logo. This tells you it has come from well-managed forests. Ask your retailers for FSC-certified products – as a customer, you have the power to make retailers more responsible.
You can also get involved in a major new campaign we’re launching later in 2010. Find out more on these pages soon!
Supporting timber-producing countries
In 2003 the EU endorsed its Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, to set out how to support global efforts to address the problem of illegal logging. As part of the FLEGT plan, the EU is negotiating Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) between EU member states and timber producing countries.
The VPAs are designed to combat illegal logging, support forest policy reform, help protect forest resources and generate benefits for local communities. So far three VPAs have been signed – with Ghana, the Congo and Cameroon. The idea is that partner countries will only export timber to EU member states that’s been verified as legal in origin.
We support these initiatives and want them to be rigorous and successfully implemented. We believe these voluntary agreements, as well as stronger regional law enforcement mechanisms, can complement the new EU law. Together these measures can help to halt the trade in illegal goods, and support those committed to trading legally.