The global fight against illegal logging received a significant boost in recent weeks following Indonesian led discussions on with the European Union and the USA on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade.

Following discussions earlier this year, Indonesia’s Trade Minister Mari E Pangetsu, and Forestry Minister M.S. Kaban signed a pact with US trade representative Susan Schwabb on November 11 while attending APEC discussions in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Ms Schwabb stated that a core part of the US’s trade agenda must be combating illegal trade, and this included the protection of endangered species.

The agreement sets out a plan for the US and Indonesia to cooperate on law enforcement and to share information about the manufactured wood products imported into America.

Imports of finished wood products by consumers in the US and other developed nations, and which come mainly from China, are driving the demand for illegally sourced timber.

The US has committed an initial $1 million to fund projects such as remote sensing of illegal logging activities and to work with conservation groups to stop illegal logging.

The Indonesian Government has been having similar discussions with the European Union. Following discussions with the EU on November 21, the Ministry of Forestry is reported to be developing a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) on timber trade. Under the VPA both parties will agree to help each other in combating illegal logging.

In a recent Dow Jones Dow Jones Newswire article, the Director General of the Center for International Forestry Research, Frances Seymour, is quoted "It's highly appropriate that timber-importing countries support timber-exporting countries in tackling the logging problem, as international demand for wood products is a major driver of illegal logging,"

"Tens of millions of people . . . derive at least part of their livelihoods from forests. CIFOR research following the 1997-98 financial crisis demonstrated the importance of forests as a safety net during times of economic hardship. Indonesia's forestry sector also constitutes a significant source of employment and export revenue," she said.

Dow Jones also reports Seymour as saying "The Indonesian government has begun prosecuting forest-related crime. (It) is the first country to have included forest crime as a predicate offense under anti-money laundering legislation.”

She also added that “many poor communities in Indonesia depend on forest-based activities that are technically illegal, or get caught up in criminal activities led by larger syndicates, (but) the use of law enforcement tools beyond those available within the narrowly-defined forestry sector could represent a significant advance in combating illegal logging by enabling officials to target the real bad guys.”