Home > Highlights > International Dialogue on Timber Trade, Forest Law Compliance & Governance

International Dialogue on Timber Trade, Forest Law Compliance & Governance

AFP Media conference featuring representatives from: Dr. Boen Purnama, MOF Indonesia; Dr. David Cassells, TNC; Mr. Hoai, MARD Vietnam; Hoeke Woerner, GTZ; Mr. Nguyen Ton Quyen, Vietnam Timber Association, Tran Kim Long, MARD Vietnam; Mr. Hugh Speechly, DfID; Ms. Frances Seymour, CIFOR. Photo: Yani Saloh

Tough policy issues surrounding the global timber trade were again under the spotlight recently, as forestry experts from around the world gathered in Hanoi to attend the Asia Forest Partnership's Dialogue on Timber Trade, Forest Law Compliance and Governance. As one of the highlight events at Asia Pacific Forestry Week in Vietnam, the AFP Dialogue brought together over 500 forestry stakeholders to discuss sustainability in the trade of timber and forest products, and to develop strategies for success in an increasingly regulated environment.

The dialogue was organized in collaboration with CIFOR, DfID, IGES, TNC and the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry. The Indonesian Ministry's Secretary General, Dr. Boen Purnama, opened the discussion, followed by the BBC's Rico Hizon, who's lively and professional moderator skills catalyzed a passionate and productive debate on policy solutions, industry incentives and practical on-the-ground initiatives.

Forests in Asia account for over half a billion hectares, around one percent of which is being cleared per year (FAO, 2006). Recent concerns about the importance of forests to climate change have added to already intense debate around forest law enforcement, industrial wood demand and other complex dynamics that impact on logging, both legal and illegal.

"All countries of the Asia Pacific still suffer from illegal logging and trade activities," Telapak forest campaigner Timer Manurung told participants at the Asia-Pacific Forest Week forum in Hanoi, Vietnam. He said the organization's recent investigations showed about 600,000 cubic meters of logs were harvested illegally in Laos in 2006 and then smuggled to border areas - mainly Vietnam - and made into furniture for export.

What is the matter to the sustainability of Asia forest? "The future of Asia's forests is no longer just the concern of scientists and NGOs fighting for the survival of these vital ecosystems and their charismatic fauna," said David Cassells, Director of The Nature Conservancy's Asia Pacific Forest Programme and the Responsible Asia Forestry and Trade (RAFT) initiative. "Forest management and use effects the lives of millions of people. It is big business and forests are high on the agenda for mainstream economic policy in a carbon constrained world.

So, sustainable management of forest resources is not just an environmental issue, but a social, political and economic one too. And sustainable management of forests in Asia is not just the responsibility of countries in Asia, but for developed countries whose seemingly insatiable demand for timber products often drives illegal logging.

"This demand impacts heavily on the economies of developing countries and the livelihoods of their rural communities," said Hugh Speechly, from the Department for International Development's (DfID) Forest Governance and Trade Programme. "Timber-producing nations lose more than $US15 billion a year due to uncollected royalties, and trade in illegally procured timber is estimated to depress world prices by up to 16%, making it difficult for legal operators to compete, added Mr Speechly.

"Many people think we could halt deforestation if we just stopped illegal logging," said Frances Seymour, Director General, the Center for International Forestry Research. "But there are a number of complex factors that drive forest law, many of which originate outside of the forestry sector, and we have to be careful that law enforcement efforts do not harm the millions of people who rely on forests for their livelihoods," added Ms Seymour.

"Solving the problems will require cooperation across national boundaries and the involvement of a large number of stakeholders. Dialogues such as this one can help build a consensus among these many actors about what needs to be done."

Government delegates from Asia-Pacific countries say they are skeptical of reports that illegal timber trade remains widespread in the region despite policies in place against it. Telapak Indonesia was launched it report on intensive investigations over the past 10 years and found that illegal wood trade was still common in the region.

"The fact that logs are so visible does not necessarily mean that their control is simple. There are many actors involved, many of whom have strong influence both in terms of power and finances." Boen, who is also chairman of the UN Forest Forum, said solutions were urgently needed to tackle illegal logging.

The event was organized by Asia Forest Partnership Secretariat hosted by CIFOR, a multi-stakeholder alliance to facilitate and promote discussion, information exchange, and collaborative action for the sustainable management of forests in the Asia-Pacific region. AFP was launched in 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Highlights from the dialogue:

  • Markets are changing in ways that should encourage legal and sustainable forest management and trade
  • This should assist legal and sustainable producers by excluding unfair competition from illegal and unsustainable producers.
  • Governments can help these processes by streaming regulations for both community and industrial producers to reduce costs and opportunities for corruption
  • Governments should review their charges and royalty structures to provide more direct incentives for producers to adopt legal and sustainable production practices
  • Consumer and producer governments, development agencies, NGO's, and other relevant parties should work together to support accelerated capacity building for both community and commercial enterprises seeking to move towards legal and sustainable production
  • There is an immediate need for credible verification of legality to help buyers and sellers determine what is legal and what is not.

Presentations:

  • Dr. Federico Francisco Lopez-Casero, IGES: "Action by consumer countries to tackle the international trade in illegal timber". He gave examples of some actions which address illegal logging and trade particularly those that can be taken by people in consumer countries. Governments in some wealthier countries such as EU, USA and Japan have also developed some policies to address the issue although not all policies are equally effective. There are also a lot of dialogues and collaborations at regional levels such as FLEGT that lead to the development of some Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs).
  • Private sector, Amir Sunarko, PT.Sumalindo Lestari Jaya,Tbk: "Ensuring the sustainability". His presentation focused on what strategies have been taken by Sumalindo to address the issue of legality and sustainability, such as implementing of the HCVF approach as well as adopting FSC principles for natural resource management and renewable resource or plantation. Moray Isles, DLH Vietnam:"Are Timber Markets changing? What are Implications for Industry, Forests, People and Governments? A DLH Vietnam perspective". Moray made an interesting presentation about changes in the timber market and how DLH has adapted to these changes; taking examples from DLH works in Vietnam.
  • NGOs perspective, Timer Manurung, Telapak: "Is legal and sustainable timber production important? Who for, and why?" Timer focused on the issue of legal vs. sustainable forestry and argued that there could be various combinations between legality and sustainability. He brought up, for example, that a forest area can be harvested illegally but in sustainable way. This is often the case with community forestry.
  • The community forest was also the focus of Caroline Imun's presentation: "Timber trade, Forest Law Compliance and Governance": "Certifying Community Forestry in Papua New Guinea". In PNG, the FSC certification system benefits the local community in many ways. She pointed out that certification works must be supported by government and also extended to private companies.

The Asia-Pacific Forestry Week report summary can be found at: