26 September 2014: The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) has released two new brochures highlighting partnership projects. The first brochure introduces the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) programme, which will be implemented with the EU, while the second brochure focuses on progress in the joint initiative with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on the protection of tropical forest biodiversity.

With regard to the FLEGT project, the brochure notes that ITTO support will enhance Independent Timber Market Monitoring (ITMM) in order to create awareness of the market implications of Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs). In particular, the project will, according to the brochure, publish information on trends in FLEGT-licensed timber in the EU market, ensure that statistics on VPAs are reliable and accurate, provide support to national VPA monitoring bodies, and contribute to the monitoring and updating of the FLEGT Action Plan.

The second brochure reports on implementation of the Joint ITTO-CBD Collaborative Initiative for Tropical Forest Biodiversity, through which 11 projects have been funded in 26 countries. Achievements highlighted in the brochure include, the promotion of ecologically responsible forest management in the Amazon, forest restoration in Guatemala and Mexico, improved local livelihoods for the protection of mangroves in Fiji, and the development of training material on sustainable forest management aimed at the Congo Basin. [FLEGT Independent Market Monitoring] [Joint ITTO-CBD Collaborative Initiative for Tropical Forest Biodiversity]