Sections:
DFID Welcomes EU action to combat illegal logging
25 October 2005
Image courtesy of Environmental Investigation Agency
EU Agriculture Ministers have agreed a new regulation to tackle illegal logging. The Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) deal will help prevent illegal timber from entering the European market. The package includes partnership agreements with timber-producing countries where governance and law enforcement is weak. It is hoped that Ghana will be one of the first countries to sign up.
A licensing scheme will help these countries guarantee that that their timber exports to the EU come from legal sources. The EU will now work with partner countries to develop the scheme.
The UK has been a key player in driving forward the implementation of the EU FLEGT Action Plan. Under the UK's EU Presidency, DFID and Defra, together with FCO, have collaborated closely to deliver our EU Presidency commitments on time.
Hilary Benn, UK Secretary of State for International Development, said: 'This is an excellent first step to tackling the problem of illegal logging and we have already seen world timber markets change in anticipation. FLEGT will help the poorest countries to manage their forests better, improve people's livelihoods and protect their natural resources'.
Illegal logging is a global problem that has enormous economic, social and environmental impacts. It costs governments billions of dollars annually in lost revenue - an amount that dwarfs development assistance in poor countries especially. The World Bank estimates that illegal logging results in $10-15 billion per year in lost revenue.
Image courtesy of Environmental Investigation Agency
DFID's Illegal Logging Programme supports countries in Africa and Asia to
strengthen their forest governance and tackle the trade in illegally logged
timber. In particular, DFID is supporting regional initiatives that encourage
co-operation between timber-producing countries to address their enforcement and
governance problems. The UK will work with other EU Member States to help
develop partnership agreements now that political agreement on the regulation
has been reached.
DFID is also supporting civil society and private sector initiatives - in developing countries and in the UK - so that people can hold their governments to account and make forest markets work better for poor people.
Links
