RESOURCES


How well did you do,G 8?

G 8 countries' Non- Performance on Combating Illegal Logging:

" The G8 members recognize that further efforts are needed by the members to meet these ends"

"Further work is needed in all five priority areas, particularly protected forest areas and illegal logging/ trade."

G 8 countries made clear commitments in their Action Programme on Forests, adopted in 1998 at the Birmingham Summit, to combat illegal logging and other illegal and corrupt activities within the international timber trade (Section VI. of the Action Programme on Forests). These five commitments are pinned down in para. 11 of the Action Programme on Forests:

"11. The G-8 members will:

  1. Encourage the sharing of information and assessment on the nature and extent of international trade in illegally harvested timber as the basis for developing practical and effective counter measures;
  2. Identify and assist in implementing measures to improve economic information and market transparency regarding the international timber trade, including through International Forum on Forests and International Tropical Timber Organisation;
  3. Identify and assess the effectiveness of their internal measures to control illegal logging and international trade in illegally harvested timber and identify areas of improvement;
  4. Take measures to implement their obligations under international agreements aimed at combating bribery and corruption in international business transactions as they pertain to trade in timber;
  5. Work with interested partner countries and through international organisations including the Tropical Timber Organisation to develop their own capacity to assess the nature and extent of illegal logging and trade in illegally harvested timber and their capacity to develop and implement counter measures."

The chart below shows the activities which G8 countries have carried out over the last two years to fulfil these five obligations on combating illegal logging. The analysis is entirely based on the G 8 countries' still unreleased "REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE G8 ACTION PROGRAMME ON FORESTS", prepared for the Okinawa Summit in July 2000. Greenpeace has got hold of a copy of the report.

Scorecard of G8 countries' performance:

  1
Share knowledge on international trade in illegally harvested timber		 2
Improve economic information and market transparency		 3
Internal measures to control illegal logging and international trade in illegally harvested timber and identify areas of improvement 		4
Implement international agreements to combat bribery and corruption		 5
Capacity building with interested partner countries and through ITTO
Canada NONE NONE
  • Illegal logging (as illegal harvesting, processing or export on a large scale) not considered to be a problem.
  • Research on DNA-analysis to identifying tree DNA and trace illegally logged timber
 NONE NONE
EU NONE NONE
  • Voiced strong NGO role regarding fraudulent harvesting, marking and trading practices by trans-national companies.
  • Communication on Forests and Development foresees support for the use of rules world-wide to tackle the problem of trans-national logging companies.
NONE
  • Funds major part of the Pilot Project for the Brazilian Rainforest contains specific component for logging control at the state level.
  • Other projects deal at least to some extent with the problem
France NONE NONE
  • Most of the offenders of logging laws in France are rapidly discovered and prosecuted. - The tentative certification is seen as eventually discouraging illegal logging on the national level.
  • Certification "might be helpful for imported timber, if it appears reliable".
NONE NONE
Germany NONE NONE Is not affected by illegal logging NONE Works within its framework on development cooperation in various countries to check illegal timber use activities as part of a broader concept of advice or promotion
Italy NONE NONE NONE  

Integrated programmes for systematic forest management and protected areas, which include initiatives to fight illegal hunting and logging in ODA.

  • Project on transboundary protected ecosystems shared across boundaries in South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe
  • Forestry projects within the National Forest Programmes in Albania and Bosnia Herzegovina
Japan NONE Funds provided to international organizations to enhance statistical functions and networks in order to improve economic information and market transparency.
  • Forest Management Planning and Forest-land Development Permission System;
  • Logging permission required in protected forests;
  • Penalty laws and control of illegal logging in national forests
 NONE Through contributions to ITTO develop capacity on timber statistics and information systems in producer member countries.
Russia NONE NONE
  • Improved the system of forest use and forest management planning and inventory
  • Introduces forest resource certification procedures and eco-labelling to prevent illegal timber harvesting
  • Provides for interaction between customs and export trade organisations to ensure chain of custody for timber and paper products
NONE NONE
UK NONE NONE Tree felling without approval is in general illegal. Applications for tree felling licenses are placed on a public register. Helps the public to identify and report un-authorised licensing. Allegations are investigated and, if confirmed, prosecuted. NONE
  • Review of a DFID project: Addicted to Rent: Corporate and Spatial Distribution of Forest Resources in Indonesia: Implications for Forest Sustainability and Government Policy
  • 1 Million $ in 1999 for 3 years to support:
    - Forestry Crime and Reporting Project, Cambodia
    - Core activities of Global Forest Watch
USA Supported studies on the distribution and status of Swietenia Macrophylla harvesting activities, illegal logging and trade. NONE Increased in 1998 number of ports of entry for CITES listed timber species to respond to the listing of Swietenia Macrophylla (heavily traded mahogany) in Annex III. NONE Consultations to host a regional workshop in Southeast Asia following up on a World Bank Symposium "Forest Law Enforcement" in June 1999 in Cambodia
SUM- MARY Apart from (unspecified) financing of some studies on one tree species by the US, G8 countries did not take any specific action to share knowledge on international trade. Only Japan provides some funds to international organisations. The amount of financial contribution, the funded organisations and type of activities, are not specified. Internal Measured on domestic illegal logging: Countries report that illegal logging in their countries is not a major problem. Regarding Russia, there is national legislation. However, Russia does not report about the implementation of their national legislation which is very poor. According to a recent Greenpeace Report, at least 20 % of the timber logged in Russia violates current laws. Internal Measures on international trade in illegally harvested timber: Apart from increasing the number of ports of entry to accept Swietenia Macrophylla by the US (CITES Annex III), no measures by any country. No measures have been taken by any country. Some countries report on work on capacity building, namely the EU, Germany, Italy, the UK and the US. These activities are mainly embedded in the general framework of technical and financial co-operation and do not provide extra activities focusing on illegal logging. Japan, as always, supports ITTO. The US is currently planning to host a workshop on illegal logging. Apart from the UK, which funds a Forestry Crime and Reporting Project in Cambodia and supports Global Forest Watch, activities are part of existing projects and programmes.
RESULT No compliance whatsoever on information sharing and assessment o f international trade in illegally harvested timber No compliance by seven G8's on improved economic information and market transparency and a non-transparent and murky activity by one. No internal measures to control international trade in illegally harvested timber! G 8 totally failed to comply with their commitment on internal measures. No compliance whatsoever on combating bribery and corruption in international business transactions as they pertain to trade in timber. Mostly business-as-usual on capacity building. No real shift and special focus on building capacity for producer countries.

Greenpeace demands

G8 countries did not fulfil their commitments of 1998. Greenpeace demands that G8 countries take their commitments serious and start implementing immediately the following activities:

Overall demand:
Stop industrial development in all ancient forests until proven sustainable. Immediate logging moratorium until sustainability is guaranteed.

G8 shall decide at their Summit in Okinawa 2000 to:

1. Adopt a green procurement policy. G 8 governments will only buy certified timber products.
2. Stop subsidising destruction. All existing subsidies will be assessed and abolished if proven a threat to sustainable and ecosystem-based forest management.
3. Provide assistance to developing countries to combat illegal logging. In particular, in the framework of the PPG7, G8 adopts a "Proposal for a G 8 Project for the Protection of Brazilian Ancient Forests From Illegal Logging" put forward by Greenpeace.