Demand Mandatory Laws on Illegal Timber
Congo shows Europe how to protect forests, with laws

Greenpeace - 3 November 2005
http://www.greenpeace.org/


For centuries fortune seekers have plundered the huge rainforest of the Congo basin in the heart of Africa, the second-largest rainforest in the world after the Amazon. Ivory, diamonds and gold have been taken and shipped to the centres of old empires and now finally, the forest itself is being torn down and sent on the same journey.

In 2002, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared a moratorium on new logging concessions in an attempt to halt the widespread destruction. It didn’t work, in part due to corruption and the continued flood of illegal timber flowing into consumer countries because there are still no laws prohibiting their importation.

Unsurprisingly, the trade in illegal timber does little to reduce the poverty in producer countries. The World Bank estimates that illegal logging costs timber-producing countries between US$10 and15 billion a year in lost revenue with this money only fuelling the profit margins of logging companies and their local allies.

Legality of current logging to be examined

This week, the President of the DRC, Joseph Kabila signed a decree that upholds the 2002 moratorium, freezing new logging concessions in up to 40 million hectares of rainforest while the legality of all current logging concessions are examined. Without international assistance to remove corrupt and illegal logging companies from the Congolese forestry sector and laws prohibiting the importation of illegal timber into consumer countries however, this decree might not be enough.

The consumer countries of Europe, Japan and the US have been slow to create the laws that would support the efforts of producer countries like the DRC. As they wash their hands of any responsibility as the purchasers of the illegal timber, the last ancient forests in Africa are wiped off the map.

"Until now, the logging industry has been a law unto itself, destroying the rainforest to supply wood to Europe, Asia and the USA. This decree is an important first step towards responsible and socially just forest management, but this will only be achieved in this post-conflict country with assistance from the international community," said Filip Verbelen, Greenpeace International forest campaigner.

Illegal timber flowing freely into consumer countries

In the last month, we have highlighted the ease at which illegal and destructively logged timber enters the consumer countries. In Italy it was illegal timber from Africa being unloaded in the port of Livorno. Spain had illegal timber from the Amazon in its prized Queen Sofia Museum and the UK was caught red-handed with plywood made from illegal timber from the Paradise forests of Papua New Guinea.

Time and time again the answer to halting the destruction of the last ancient forests has been clear. Laws prohibiting the importation of illegal and destructively logged timber into consumer countries are the first step to stemming the tide of destruction in the last of our ancient forests.

The DRC is trying to halt the destruction and protect its forests and the people and wildlife that depend on them. It is time for Europe, Japan and the US to follow the lead and enact laws to help protect the last ancient forests.

Take action to stop illegal timber

- Louis Michel believes measures to stop the importation of illegal timber into Europe should be voluntary, let him know that it is mandatory!