Indonesia’s first certified timber enters Europe

NaijaAgroNet:

Indonesia and the European Union (EU) have signed a agreement to issue the world's first Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) timber licence as a major achievement in the fight against illegal logging, reports NaijaAgroNet.

This is coming as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has given its support to the initiative to combat illegal logging and boosts sustainable livelihoods.

NaijaAgroNet also reports that as of 15 November, the FLEGT licence could accompany shipments of timber exported from Indonesia to EU member states to certify that the timber has been harvested, transported, processed and traded according to Indonesian law.

"Indonesia has taken important steps to strengthen forest governance, combat illegal logging, modernize its forest sector, and improve business practices," said Robert Simpson of FAO's FLEGT Programme, which supports tropical timber-producing countries engaged in FLEGT initiatives.

"In addition to helping to limit the environmental damage caused by illegal logging, demonstrating timber legality opens the door to promoting the sustainable livelihoods of forest communities and increasing access to international wood markets," he said.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that Indonesia supplies one third of tropical timber imports by value to the EU, one of the world's largest consumers of timber products. Since 2013, the EU Timber Regulation has prohibited European companies from placing illegal timber and timber products on the EU market.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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