31 October 2016
ITTO Releases 2015 Annual Report
UN Photo/Eva Fendiaspara
story highlights

The ITTO annual report for 2015 summarizes projects completed in 2015 and highlights an expanded membership and collaborative initiatives, including on information and data generation.

It discusses challenges concerning reduced funding, the failure to appoint a new Executive Director, and an impairment of investments leading to the loss of a significant amount of resources.

October 2016: The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) has published its annual report, highlighting progress achieved in 2015 through field projects, thematic programmes and other activities. The report also profiles challenges with regard to reduced funding, the failure to appoint a new Executive Director, and an impairment of investments leading to the loss of a significant amount of its resources, which will be addressed at the 52nd session of the International Tropical Timber Council in November 2016.

The report also notes ITTO’s expansion. Croatia and Thailand acceded to the International Tropical Timber Agreement 2006 (ITTA, 2006), bringing the total number of ITTO members to 72.

The publication summarizes projects completed in 2015, including on: restoring tropical forests in Minas Gerais, Brazil; improving silvicultural practices for cedar and mahogany in Mexico; creating enabling conditions for REDD+ in the Meru Betiri National Park in Indonesia; and empowering women to transform degraded lands into livelihoods in Ghana. Projects and activities completed in 2015 under the Tropical Forest Law Enforcement and Trade thematic programme have improved the participation of civil society in forest law enforcement in Ghana; increased the technical capacity of native communities in the Peruvian Amazon; and assisted industries and the forest authority in Papua New Guinea to implement chain of custody and deter illegal logging. Projects have also been completed under the thematic programmes on Reducing Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Enhancing Environmental Services in Tropical Forests, and on Trade and Market Transparency.

On information and data on tropical timber production and trade provided by the Organization, the report highlights publication of the ‘Biennial Review and Assessment of the World Timber Situation 2013-2014’ and ‘Europe’s Changing Tropical Timber Trade,’ the baseline report of the Independent Market Monitoring project for the EU’s timber legality system. The publication profiles the launch of www.tropicaltimber.info, a website providing information on lesser-used tropical timber species. It discusses the international symposium to analyze illegal logging and associated trade, relevant to the ITTO joint programme with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which focuses on promoting the conservation, sustainable use and legal trade of tree species, such as the African cherry, agarwood, big-leaf mahogany and cedar.

The report contains a timeline of ITTO key achievements, and sections on: the 51st session of the International Tropical Timber Council; field results of projects completed and of thematic programmes in 2015; economics, statistics and markets; the forest industry; collaborative and policy initiatives on reforestation and forest management; fellowships; international cooperation and collaboration; knowledge management, publications and outreach; and financial highlights. [ITTO Annual Report 2015] [ITTO Annual Reports] [Biennial Review and Assessment of the World Timber Situation] [Europe’s Changing Tropical Timber Trade] [tropicaltimber.info] [ITTO-CITES Programme]

 


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