Illegal logging and the international trade in illegal timber is a major problem for many timber-producing countries, especially in the developing world.

It causes environmental damage, costs governments billions of dollars in lost revenue, promotes corruption, and undermines the rule of law and good governance. Consumer countries contribute to these problems by importing timber and wood products without ensuring that they are legally sourced. In recent years, however, producer and consumer countries alike have paid increasing attention to illegal logging and its associated trade, and are seeking to tackle the issue.

Current Projects

Since 2000 the Energy, Environment and Development Programme, with funding mainly derived from the UK Department for International Development, has provided support and assistance for ongoing UK and EU initiatives on the control of illegal logging and the trade in illegal timber. Please see below for a full list of current relevant projects:

• Illegal Logging Website
• Illegal Logging Stakeholder Update Meetings
• Forest Governance and Climate Change Meetings
• Measuring the Response to Illegal Logging: Indicators of Progress
• Due Diligence in the Sale of Timber Products

Illegal Logging Website

The Energy, Environment and Development Programme has set up and maintains a dedicated website to provide information on key issues related to illegal logging and trade. It provides key documents, reports, topical news stories and events, plus links to relevant websites. Please visit www.illegal-logging.info.

Illegal Logging Stakeholder Update Meetins

The Illegal Logging Stakeholder Update meetings provide updates on the latest initiatives, regulations and research in the area of forest governance and trade in illegal timber. They have been at the heart of Chatham House's work on the issue since the first meeting was held in 2002. The meetings are held every six months. More information.

Forest Governance and Climate Change Meetings

The Forest Governance and Climate Change meeting series ran from 2009-10, with the aim of promoting learning and discussion on the key issues facing forests and forest communities in relation to global efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change within the forest sector.

Building on the success of the Illegal Logging Series, three meetings were held covering the following topics: Forests and REDD+ in the climate negotiations; standards and safeguards. addressing tenure and governance; Multilateral initiatives; and Carbon financing mechanisms and forest governance. More information.

Measuring the Response to Illegal Logging: Indicators of Progress

Large amounts of time and money are spent on efforts to mitigate the twin problems of illegal logging and its associated trade, and so it is important to assess whether these efforts are having any useful impact. Chatham House has developed a set of indicators to measure the extent and effectiveness of the response to illegal logging within producer, consumer and processor countries. The indicators cover awareness and understanding of the issue, government policy development and implementation, and private sector policy development and implementation. The project findings are aimed at assisting policymakers and other stakeholders in developing the most effective responses to this issue.

The study has been undertaken in twelve countries: 5 consumer countries (France, Japan, the Netherlands, the UK, and the USA); 5 producer countries (Brazil, Cameroon, Ghana, Indonesia, Malaysia), and 2 processing countries (China and Vietnam). More information.

Due Diligence

On 17 October 2008 the European Commission presented its proposal for a regulation on the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the EU market. After a process of consultation and negotiation, this resulted in the EU Timer Regulation, which was adopted in 2010. The Regulation prohibits operators from placing illegally harvested timber and timber products on the European market, and requires that they exercise due diligence to minimize the risk of doing so. This Regulation will apply from 3 March 2013. 

Chatham House has conducted a series of analyses of the draft regulation, its likely impact in the UK and the use of 'due diligence' in other sectors. More information.

Events

Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation (18)
20 June - 21 June 2011

Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation (17)
27-28 January 2011

Illegal Logging and Related Trade: Indicators of the Global Response
15 July 2010

Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation (16)
24-25 June 2010

Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation
20 January 2010

Dialogue on Forests, Governance and Climate Change
22 January 2010

Dialogue on Forests, Governance and Climate Change
22-23 October 2009 (Washington DC)

First Dialogue on Forests, Governance and Climate Change
8 July 2009

Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation
23-24 June 2009

Illegal Logging Update and Stakeholder Consultation
9-10 June 2008

The European Commission's Draft Due Diligence Regulation
28 April 2009

Forest Governance International Stakeholder Update
17-18 January 2008

Publications

Controlling Illegal Logging: Implementation of the EU Timber Regulation
Briefing Papers
Jon Buckrell and Alison Hoare, June 2011 

Controlling Illegal Logging: Consumer-Country Measures
Briefing Paper
Duncan Brack and Jon Buckrell, March 2011

Illegal Logging and Related Trade: Indicators of the Global Response
Briefing Paper
Sam Lawson, July 2010

Illegal Logging and Related Trade: Indicators of the Global Response
Programme Report
Sam Lawson and Larry MacFaul, July 2010

Illegal Logging and Related Trade: Indicators of the Global Response
Country Report Cards
Sam Lawson and Larry MacFaul, July 2010

Controlling Illegal Logging: Consumer-Country Measures
Duncan Brack, January 2010

Keeping Illegal Fish and Timber off the Market: A Comparison of EU Regulations
Heike Baumuller, Duncan Brack and Katharina Umpfenbach, October 2009

Combating Illegal Logging: Interaction with WTO Rules
Duncan Brack, June 2009

Illegal Logging and Related Trade: Pilot Assessment of the Global Response, 2008
June 2009

Illegal Logging and Related Trade: Measuring the Global Response
Sam Lawson, October 2008

Controlling Illegal Logging: Using Public Procurement Policy
Duncan Brack, June 2008

Local Government Timber Procurement Policies: Case studies from the North East and Yorkshire & the Humber
Duncan Brack, August 2007

Illegal Logging (revised from Aug 06)
Duncan Brack, July 2007

Controlling Illegal Logging: Lessons from the US Lacey Act
Duncan Brack, July 2007

Contact

Alison Hoare (on leave), Senior Research Fellow, Energy, Environment and Development Programme.