Introduction
The EU aims to protect and improve the health of existing forests, especially primary forests, while significantly increasing sustainable, biodiverse forest coverage worldwide.
Forests are rapidly disappearing around the world. Deforestation and forest degradation are their biggest threats. It is estimated that around 10% of the world’s forests, an area larger than the European Union, have been lost worldwide through deforestation over the past 30 years, and about 10% of forests globally are severely fragmented with little or no connectivity. While this is not a new phenomenon, the current scale and pace of destruction is alarming. This magnitude of destruction has significant social, economic and environmental impacts, locally and globally.
Deforestation is a main driver of climate change and biodiversity loss, and the EU contributes to it by consuming a significant share of products associated with deforestation. The EU, therefore, has the responsibility to contribute to ending it.
In line with the 2019 Communication on Stepping up EU Action to Protect and Restore the World’s Forests, the EU aims to improve the health of existing forests, and significantly increase sustainable, biodiverse forest coverage worldwide. The EU has five main priorities:
- reduce the footprint of EU consumption on land and encourage EU consumption of products from deforestation-free supply chains,
- work in partnership with producer countries to reduce pressures on forests,
- strengthen international cooperation to halt deforestation and forest degradation and encourage forest restoration,
- redirect finance to support more sustainable land-use practices,
- support the availability and quality of information on forests and commodity supply chains, the access to that information, and support research and innovation.
There are specific EU policies to tackle deforestation:
Deforestation-free products policy is formed by EU rules to guarantee that the products EU citizens consume do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation worldwide. By promoting the consumption of ‘deforestation-free’ products and reducing the EU’s impact on global deforestation and forest degradation, the EUDR (new 2023 Regulation on deforestation-free products - Regulation (EU) 2023/1115) is expected to bring down greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss.
Illegal logging is the harvesting of timber in contravention of the laws and regulations of the country of harvest. It is a global problem with significant negative economic, environmental and social impact. Illegal logging results in lost revenues and other benefits.
Illegal logging is associated with deforestation, climate change and a loss of biodiversity and linked to conflicts over land and resources, the disempowerment of local and indigenous communities, corruption and armed conflicts. Illegal activities also undermine the efforts of responsible operators by making cheaper, but illegal timber and timber products available.
From a law enforcement perspective, forestry crime involves criminal activity in the forestry sector, covering the entire supply chain, from harvest and transportation to processing and selling. It also refers to criminal offences that facilitate such activity, including document fraud, corruption and money laundering. Forestry crime is:
- The illegal exploitation of high-value endangered wood species
- Illegal logging in protected areas, on indigenous lands or outside concession boundaries
- Laundering of illegal harvested wood through plantation and agricultural front companies
- Document fraud and misdeclarations to conceal illegal activity and tax evasion.
Some exotic tree species are protected under CITES, but not all. Often, however, the import of the listed species ranks among the most frequent in the Member States. Examples of exotic tree species protected under CITES include:
- Dalbergia: Many species of Dalbergia, including rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia) and ebony (Dalbergia nigra), are protected under Appendix I or II.
- Santalum: Santalum wood (Santalum album) is protected under Appendix II.
- Aquilaria: Agarwood trees (Aquilaria spp.) are protected in Annex II.
- Gonystylus: Gonystylus trees (Gonystylus spp.) are protected in Annex II.
The EU acknowledges the problems related to illegal logging and aims to:
- work with partner countries to improve forest governance and capacity building,
- oblige operators who place timber and timber products on the EU market to exert due diligence to minimise the risk of importing illegally harvested timber,
- promote dialogue and cooperation with other major markets,
- be effective in raising awareness and contributing to forest governance globally,
- help reduce demand for illegal timber in the EU.