"Illegal logging and bad environmental management equate to billions of dollars each year in lost revenue-

Date:   5/12/2006 10:43:56 PM ( 18 y ago)

"... I've also ordered the Secretary of State to develop a new initiative to help developing countries stop illegal logging, a practice that destroys biodiversity and releases millions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere."

What is Illegal Logging?

Illegal logging is generally understood to mean timber that is harvested, transported, processed or sold in contravention of a country's laws. Illegal logging destroys forest ecosystems, robs national governments and local communities of needed revenues, undercuts prices of legally harvested forest products on the world market, finances regional conflict and acts as a disincentive to sustainable forest management.

International trade in illegally harvested timber and timber traded in violation of Parties' obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) exacerbates the problem. Illegal logging is also a primary factor in the escalating African bush meat crisis, opening up vast areas to illicit hunting to feed loggers and for commercial sale in urban centers.

Underlying causes of illegal logging and related corruption are rooted in a lack of strong institutions based on democratic principles: rule of law, participatory and transparent decision-making, public accountability, clear land tenure and property rights and due process for dispute settlement.

The World Bank estimates that illegal logging results in annual losses in developing countries of $10-15 billion worldwide.
-A Revised Forest Strategy for the World Bank Group, October 2002

U.S. Leadership

The United States has been a leader in raising international awareness of the devastating global problem of illegal logging and identifying actions to address it, notably through the G-8, regional initiatives such as the South Asia and Africa Ministerial Conferences on Forest Law Enforcement and Governance, and bilateral development assistance activities. Developed at the direction of President Bush, this Initiative builds on those efforts.

Goal, Strategies and Priorities

The goal of the Initiative is to assist developing countries to combat illegal logging, the sale (including for export) of illegally harvested timber products, and corruption in the forest sector. Focusing on three critical regions-Congo Basin, Amazon Basin and Central America and South and South East Asia-the Initiative will emphasize identifying and reducing threats to protected forest areas and other high value conservation forests from illegal logging through four key strategies:

Good Governance - Building country capacity to establish and strengthen legal regimes and enforcement of laws affecting forest management, especially those aimed at illegal logging;
Community-Based Actions - Enhancing community involvement in forest governance and related wildlife issues;
Technology Transfer - Developing integrated monitoring systems and building in-country capacity to monitor forest activity and compliance with laws, including using remote-sensing and ground-based technologies to monitor changes in forest conditions; and
Harnessing Market Forces - Promoting good business practices, transparent markets and legal trade, including incountry capacity to implement obligations under CITES.

Building a Foundation for Action with Partners

Implementation of the following actions totaling up to $15 million in 2003 will build the foundation for action with partner countries and stakeholders in 2004 and beyond.

Actions in the Congo Basin


Integrating remote sensing and ground-based monitoring of forests
Enhancing training and capacity building for forest monitoring and law enforcement, including protection of wildlife
Introducing reduced impact-logging techniques
Co-sponsoring an Africa-wide Forest Law and Governance Ministerial Conference

Actions in the Amazon Basin and Central America


Supporting compliance with the new CITES Appendix II listing of bigleaf mahogany
Assessing and testing of forest monitoring technologies
Technical assistance and training
Strengthening protected area management and capacity building for legal logging operators
Promoting actions on forest law enforcement and governance

Actions in South and Southeast Asia


Community-based forest management and protection
Promoting eco-governance, transparency and accountability in the forest sector
Addressing illegal logging threatening orangutan habitat
Follow-up to the South Asia Ministerial Conference on Forest Law Enforcement and Governance held in Bali in 2001

Global Actions


Facilitating partnerships under USAID's Sustainable Forest Products Global Alliance to develop legally sourced forest products
Funding projects through the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) to improve tropical timber export and import data
Identifying possible actions domestically and in cooperation with timber exporting and importing countries and interested stakeholders to reinforce efforts to eliminate illegal logging consistent with international obligations and administration trade and environmental policies
Assessing international timber markets to better understand financial investments, supply routes and trans-shipment methods
Addressing forest law enforcement in bilateral agreements, including, where appropriate, within the framework of free trade agreements
Engaging US embassies in raising awareness and promoting action with host countries

Initial U.S. Partners:

Departments of State (lead agency), Treasury, Justice, Interior - Fish and Wildlife Service, Agriculture - Forest Service, Commerce and Homeland Security, US Agency for International Development, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, White House Council on Environmental Quality, Office of the US Trade Representative, Smithsonian Institution, US-based industry and conservation groups.



 

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