3 December 2016: The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) launched the report, ‘Illegal Logging and Related Timber Trade – Dimensions, Drivers, Impacts and Responses,’ on the sidelines of the UN Biodiversity Conference in Cancún, Mexico. The study, coordinated by the IUFRO Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) initiative of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), was released with an accompanying policy brief, ‘Forests Beyond the Law: Scientific Insights into Illegal Logging and Related Timber Trade.’

The publication, which includes contributions from more than 40 scientists, aims to provide a deeper understanding of illegal logging and timber trade, and its scale, drivers and consequences, so that policymakers and relevant stakeholders can better tackle the problem. It synthesizes available scientific and expert knowledge while also sharing new insights on existing studies and reports. It includes a criminology perspective, information about timber and timber product trade flows, and policy options and governance responses.

Speaking at the launch, Erik Solheim, Head of UN Environment, said that forestry crime, including corporate crimes and illegal logging, total US$152 billion every year, and that new strategies to combat illegal timber production and related trade will improve the lives of the poor and protect them from criminal cartels.

Erik Solheim, Head of UN Environment said that new strategies to combat illegal timber production and related trade will improve the lives of the poor and protect them from criminal cartels.

The report cites evidence of increased involvement of organized criminal networks in illegal logging, and states that almost one-third of tropical timber traded worldwide may come from illegal forest land conversion. It identifies a number of trends related to illegal logging and the timber trade, including that: trade is shifting to less regulated markets, such as India and China, which are the main importers from timber-producing countries including Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia; informal logging remains a way to make a living, often due to lack of awareness about the law, unclear legislation or disproportionate compliance costs; forest conversion to agricultural land remains a major problem; organized criminal networks increasingly target forests; and combating illegal logging and trade is a joint effort requiring stronger international cooperation and cooperation across ministries. The report calls for more research and data to better understand the different dimensions of illegal logging and trade and policy measures to address it.

The associated policy brief, ‘Forests Beyond the Law: Scientific Insights into Illegal Logging and Related Timber Trade,’ details a number of key messages, including that: the complexity and multiple dimensions of illegal logging and related timber trade must be recognized; drivers of illegal logging, such as contested and conflicting land tenure, and road construction overlap with drivers of forest degradation and deforestation; the majority of timber resulting from illegal forest activities is traded domestically; lack of reliable and comparable data hinders efforts to combat illegal logging; and cross-sectoral and integrated policies are required. [UNEP Press Release] [Report and Policy Brief Webpage] [GFEP Initiative]