Stopping forest illegal logging

Putting a dent into illegal logging

Illegal logging doesn't only concern people who depend on forests or endangered animals such as elephants and orangutans.

It also involves governments and consumers around the world – people like you and I – who purchase timber products.

This is why WWF recognizes that to really put an end to illegal logging, we need to tackle the problem on a range of fronts: from the busy aisles of furniture stores to the quiet undercover of ageless trees.
Read WWF's position statement on illegal logging


Despite being a very risky and complex issue to address, WWF and other organizations have already succeeded to bring illegal logging on the agenda of governments and in the minds of consumers - both in timber producer and importer countries globally.

:: Promoting responsible forestry

Dealing with illegal logging requires us to work closely with the timber industry. We have put this into practice by encouraging companies to adopt responsible and legal logging practices, and giving them a market access over those that rely on illegal logging.

One of our platforms is the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN), a WWF-led partnership between leading NGOs and a few hundred companies and communities that are committed to demonstrating leadership and best practice in responsible forest management and trade.

As part of this effort, we also promote forest certification through the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Find out more


WWF also calls on producers, retailers and investors in the forestry, agricultural,and other sectors (along with governments) to ensure that their activities do not promote the clearing or degradation of High Conservation Value Forests. ^{(what are HCVFs?)}

Working with partners to identify and protect HCVF, WWF has developed a  HCVF toolkit, which provides practical guidelines to identify and manage these critically important forests.

:: Pushing for responsible timber trade

To reach their full potential, initiatives such as the GFTN need help from outside – such as international trade rules.

So with the support of WWF and other NGOs, the EU (European Union) is establishing an international licensing system for legal timber called the Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT). WWF is monitoring and evaluating how EU governments fulfil their commitments for good wood with the EU Government Barometer.

What does that mean? The plan is based on voluntary partnership agreements with timber producer countries, which will establish systems designed to identify:

• legal products and license them for import into the EU
• unlicensed – and therefore possibly illegal – products, that will be denied entry at the EU border.

Globally, WWF is also involved with the G8 Action Programme on Forests. This effort focuses on the assessment of G8 countries’ internal measures for public procurement policies, and is aimed at controlling illegal logging and the international trade in illegally logged timber.

 

:: Encouraging responsible timber procurement

Another major actor that WWF works with in the illegal logging chain is the government sector.

Through their public procurement policies, governments can encourage importing, processing and retailing companies to take efforts to control their supply chains.

:: Engaging consumers to buy good wood

Obviously, to seriously engage governments and timber producers in avoiding illegal wood, we also need to raise awareness of consumers.

For example, WWF has helped 2 major Japanese companies to adopt responsible paper use:

• Ricoh, one of the biggest producers of office products
• ASKUL, a leading supplier of stationery and office supplies in Japan

In several countries, WWF has also played a catalytic role by helping responsible timber companies showcase their products to attract the attention of buyers who are interested in 'good wood' - wood that has not been obtained by illegal logging.

Click here if you want to find out how you as a consumer can choose good wood -  wood that does not contribute to illegal logging.