Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 5 • Number 12 • 24th June 2005
Forest Law Enforcement, Illegal Logging Discussed at ITTC
Discuss this articleShare your views with other visitors, and read what they have to say
At the thirty-eighth session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC) in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, on 19-22 June, the governing body of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) decided to continue the organisation’s efforts to assist countries to develop and enforce forest laws. In addition to decisions to fund a number of projects on issues such as the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism and conserving forest genetic resources, the meeting also considered initiatives to improve enforcement of forest laws and stop illegal logging and trade in illegal timber. Participants, which included the 59 producer and consumer country members of the ITTO, examined reports from Gabon and Liberia on the topic, and also received a progress report on a joint ITTO-FAO initiative that is developing a code of best practices for improving law compliance in the forest sector. At a related side-event, participants focused on the relationship between secure land tenure for indigenous and local communities and the task of reducing illegal logging. ITTO Executive Director Dr. Manoel Sobral noted the increasing commitment to combat illegal logging in countries around the world, and affirmed that such “bold steps”, both on the part of producer countries and developed countries looking to assist with such steps, will be necessary to achieve tangible results in the future.
“ITTO reinforces commitment to forest law enforcement and combating illegal logging,” ITTO PRESS RELEASE, 21 June 2005; “ITTO grants US$7.6 million for tropical forests,” ITTO PRESS RELEASE, 21 June 2005.
Add a comment
Enter your details and a comment below, then click Submit Comment. We’ll review and publish the best comments.