1 July 2014, UN-REDD news - High-level government representatives from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have announced their intention to work together – and with Norway, INTERPOL and UN agencies – to curb an illegal timber trade that is stripping East Africa of one of its most valuable natural resources.

The East Africa  Initiative on Illegal Timber Trade and REDD+ was announced at the United  Nations Environment Assemble (UNEA) on 26 June and represents an innovative  cross-border, multi-sectoral effort to address Africa's illegal timber trade.

Illegal logging degrades forests,  causes economic loss, destroys biodiversity and livelihoods, promotes  corruption, and funds armed conflict. The economic costs of illegal logging are  staggering. Including processing, an estimated US$ 30-100 billion is lost to  the global economy through illegal logging every year, making the trade in  illegally harvested timber highly damaging to national and regional economies.

Well managed forests are a vital  economic resource that supports the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people around the  world. Ecosystem services from tropical forests alone are estimated to be  worth, on average, US$ 6,120 per hectare each year.

Africa's forest cover is estimated  at 675 million hectares, or 23 per cent of the total land area of the  continent. Between 2000 and 2010 some 3.4 million hectares were lost annually  to illegal logging – a loss equivalent to an area 322 times the size of Paris,  or 5.1 million football pitches each year.

In announcing the new initiative, UNDP Administrator Helen  Clark said, "This initiative demonstrates the UN's strong support to Kenya,  Tanzania and Uganda in tackling illegal logging and trade, and our appreciation  to Norway for leading this process. Moving forward, leadership and agreement on  the need to act is critical, and co-operation remains essential."

In addition to facing the  challenges of illegal logging within their borders, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda  are also used as transit countries for timber illegally logged in other  countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Tanzanian strategy  to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+), the  on-going Kenya REDD+ governance project and the Uganda REDD+ readiness plan  highlight the importance of strengthening law enforcement and forest governance  to address the illegal timber trade as one of the key drivers of deforestation.  These countries recognize that illegal logging must be mitigated, and forests  managed sustainably, in order to reduce emissions from forest loss. As such, a  key goal of the initiative is to curb illegal logging and trade in East Africa as a way to address  deforestation and subsequently reduce emissions from forests.

In announcing the collaborative initiative at UNEA, Uganda  Minister of Water and Environment Ephraim Kamuntu highlighted the importance of  forests for his country, and pointed out that well over half of all logging in  his country was done illegally, with severe revenue losses to the government  and local communities. He signaled the landlocked nature of Uganda and the need  to collaborate with Tanzania and Kenya as they are the key conduits of  illegally traded timber sourced in or transiting through Uganda. He also  welcomed the collaboration of international agencies in the context of the  Partnership for Action on a Green Economy.

Kenya Forest Service Direct David  Mbugua outlined Kenya's efforts to bring the currently unsustainable and  unregulated charcoal trade into the formal economy, and place it on a  sustainable basis. He also acknowledged the need for more capacity in his  country and in the region, including for law enforcement and customs control.  Recognizing that Kenya is a net consumer of timber, he flagged that much of  this timber originates from neighboring countries therefore necessitating  cross-border collaboration.

It is anticipated that this  regional East Africa Initiative on  Illegal Timber Trade and REDD+ will pilot the efforts to address illegal  logging and the illegal timber trade as drivers of deforestation. It is then  hoped that this work will expand to Mozambique,  Madagascar, the Mekong Basin, Honduras and Peru. With initial funding for the  initiative at US$ 5.25 million, and the expectation that the initiative will  identify critical elements of success in the battle against illegal logging and  the illegal timber trade that can be used by countries working towards  realizing REDD+, the initiative has the potential for significant returns on  investment .

"The  initiative is vital to the work of the UN-REDD Programme to support developing  countries to build REDD+ readiness," said UN-REDD Programme Secretariat Head  Mario Boccucci. "The illegal logging and the illegal timber trade must be  curbed if countries are to effectively decrease deforestation and sustainably  manage their forests in ways that provide valuable social, economic and  environmental benefits."

The  government of Norway, a strong global supporter of tropical forests and those  that depend on them, has announced its intended support of this important  collaboration. In recognizing the importance of the initiative, Norway Minister  for the Environment, Tine Sundtoft said, "I am very enthusiastic to learn that  there is great interest from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to tackle illegal  logging and trade. We know that these illegal activities constitute an  important driver of deforestation and forest degradation in the region. Due to  illegal logging, countries are deprived of substantial revenues from the forest  sector, and the income from this trade often ends up in illegal networks,  fuelling crime as well as conflict. Norway is committed to support this  initiative and congratulates the countries, the UN and INTERPOL in coming  together and announcing their dedication to work together on this important  initiative."

Given the  multi-sectoral negative impact of the illegal timber trade, the initiative will  receive strong implementation support from INTERPOL, the Food and Agriculture  Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development  Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United  Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

"Safeguarding the world's forests is not just the most  cost-effective way to mitigate climate change: well managed forests also  generate multi-trillion dollar services such as reliable water flow, clean air,  sustainable timber products, soil stabilization and nutrient recycling," said  UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

"We cannot afford -- economically or environmentally – to allow  the continued wholesale destruction of one of our planet's most valuable  resources -- forests. That is why UNEP applauds the East  Africa Initiative on Illegal Timber Trade and REDD+ and the firm commitment of the  governments of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to help ensure the responsible  management of one of the most important sources of inclusive and sustainable  economic growth available to us," he added.

TheEast Africa Initiative on Illegal  Timber Trade and REDD+is an opportunity to build  on each country's experiences combatting the illegal timber trade, and bring in  the specialized expertise of INTERPOL and each collaborating UN agency. Each of  the five agencies – with the support of the UN-REDD Programme – will assist the governments of Kenya, Uganda and  Tanzania to address a different facet of the illegal trade in timber: from  economic drivers, and corruption, to law enforcement, customs control and  monitoring. This multi-sectoral approach  will create a powerful deterrent against illegal logging and the illegal timber  trader in East Africa.

A  key element of the initiative's strategy is to support countries in addressing the  illegal timber trade from source (illegal logging) to export. This will focus  on increasing accountability, transparency and developing the technical capacities  to deliver effective enforcement and verification.

Enforcement  plays a critical role in the process. The apprehension and prosecution of those  involved in the illegal timber trade and in illegal logging are vitally needed  to demonstrate clear and significant penalties, and to meaningfully reduce the  perceived rewards of taking part in these illegal activities. For this reason,  the initiative will also include, with the support of INTERPOL, engaging with  police forces, strengthening the exchange of intelligence, and communicating  across borders.

"We  remain committed to developing and maintaining networks of cooperation such as  this initiative between UN agencies and INTERPOL.  Through collaboration and coordination, we  are building an unprecedented approach to address illegal logging and trade in  East Africa," said David Higgins, head of INTERPOL Environmental Security Unit.

Highlighting  the value of the initiative's collaborative approach, UNODC Executive Director  Yury Fedotov said, "Wildlife and forest crime demands a global solution that  offers international cooperation founded on joint operations, intelligence  sharing and strong and compatible national legislations. We can do nothing  less. This is our shared planet; wildlife and forest crime is our shared  responsibility."

Source: http://www.un-redd.org/Newsletter2014Issue3/EAIllegalTimberTrade/tabid/133455/Default.aspx