UK And Australia Reach Agreement On Illegal Logging

by Robin Pilgrim, LawAndTax-News.com, London

22 January 2007

Australia and the UK on Friday reached an agreement to work together to develop tough measures aimed at stopping the illegal timber trade, the Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs has announced.

Barry Gardiner, UK Minister for Biodiversity, Landscape and Rural Affairs met Australian Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation Minister Senator Eric Abetz last week to discuss how they can work together to combat illegal logging and protect forests worldwide.

Senator Abetz agreed to stronger cooperation between the UK and Australia on forest certification and efforts to reduce illegal logging, consistent with Europe's Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade action plan.

The Ministers further agreed that the UK timber procurement policy could be a powerful tool among a range of demand and supply measures available to governments and forest managers as a means to fight illegal logging and encourage greater global acceptance of sustainable forest management practices, and that its effectiveness would be enhanced by consistent application of public procurement practices internationally.

Illegal logging costs developing countries worldwide around $15billion a year in lost revenue, according to the World Bank.

Mr Gardiner stated:

"I am tremendously encouraged by Senator Abetz's agreement that Australia and the UK should work together to promote policies that combat illegal timber. Australia is a key player in the Asian and Pacific region and can influence many countries."

"The UK is leading the world in public sector demand for legal timber from sustainably managed forests, but there is not yet the critical mass needed to transform the global market."

"If countries work together and play their part in regional initiatives, as the UK and Australia are doing, we will create the right climate and conditions for change."

He concluded:

"Illegal logging degrades forests and damages the environment, leading to the loss of biodiversity. It hurts many of the world's poorest people who depend on forests for their livelihoods, robbing poor countries of revenues that should be used to develop their economies. It also distorts international trade by undercutting unfairly the legitimate market price for timber."

"Governments have a responsibility, as major purchasers of timber, to do what we can to ensure that timber is legal and from sustainably managed forests."

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