European Commission unveils forest protection initiatives

The European Commission (EC) has unveiled two important initiatives to ensure that timber and timber products illegally harvested will not enter the European market. The EC said the initiatives will be done to ensure the protection of forests globally.

The EC proposed a regulation to minimize the risk of illegally harvested timber and timber products being sold on the European market.

Traders will have to seek sufficient guarantees to show that the timber and timber products they sell have been harvested according to the relevant laws of the country of origin.

The EC said this will send a strong message to operators wanting to access the EU market.

 “Illegal logging and deforestation have serious environmental implications, contributing to climate change and the loss of biodiversity, as well as threatening the livelihood of indigenous people,” the EC said.

Illegal logging is also a symptom of wider problems, including a lack of forest governance, and weak law enforcement.

In the context of the international negotiations on the post-2012 climate change agreement, the Commission proposes to pursue the objective of halting global forest cover loss by 2030 at the latest and reducing gross tropical deforestation by at least 50 percent by 2020.

Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: “Forests are home to half of all known species. When forests disappear, so does a vast array of plants and species, with disastrous and irreversible consequences. These precious resources also play a vital role in regulating climate change. Developed and developing nations must unite to protect the world’s remaining forests. We must also send a firm message to timber suppliers that illegal timber or timber products will not be tolerated on the EU market.”

The two parts of the forest package are as follows: proposed legislation on illegal logging and communication on deforestation. Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, sale or purchase of timber in violation of applicable national laws. A significant proportion – around 19 percent – of timber imports into the EU is thought to come from illegal sources.

Illegal logging is a substantial and growing problem with serious environmental implications including the loss of biodiversity, deforestation and forest degradation. It is part of a larger problem that includes issues of forest governance and law enforcement, and also has economic and social consequences, the EC said.

Due to illegal logging, forests are currently disappearing at a rate of about 13 million hectares per year.