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G8 Summit Agrees to Control Illegal Logging

Posted: 21/03/2005

An agreement by the G8 group of industrialised countries, who have been meeting in Derby, to control illegal logging of forests by only buying timber from legal sources was hailed as a breakthrough by Hilary Benn, the development secretary. The statement on forestry commits G8 nations to "encourage, adopt or extend public timber procurement policies that favour legal timber", and to assist producer countries to tackle illegal logging through combating corruption and strengthening law enforcement.

The US, which has resisted the sanctions, accepted pressure from the environment and development ministers meeting in Derby on condition the curbs on timber purchases did not interfere with free trade. Developing countries, beset by corruption and widespread mafia operations to steal timber from their forests, have appealed to developed countries to impose controls to stop the lucrative illegal log trade.

By preventing government departments, local authorities and all public contractors buying timber without legal certification, ministers hope to put pressure on the timber industry to get its suppliers to become legitimate. Goverments also undertook to "influence the private sector" to use only legally sourced timber.

Mr Benn, who "welcomed enormously" the agreement, said that a second part of the process was to help developing countries to police their logging industries and introduce proper certification and labelling schemes, and to stamp out corruption. "We have to work at this problem from both ends if we are to succeed", he said, "but this is a tremendous start."

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