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EU starts new project to strengthen forest governance and sustainable timber trade

10.09.2020
Jakarta

The European Union (EU) recently signed a contract with the European Forest Institute to implement the new EUR 5 million (or IDR 86 billion) project “Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade in ASEAN”. Over the next three years, the project will support ASEAN Member States, including Indonesia, to reduce illegal logging by strengthening sustainable and legal forest management, improving governance and promoting trade in legally produced timber.

EU starts new project to strengthen forest governance and sustainable timber trade

 

The European Union (EU) recently signed a contract with the European Forest Institute to implement the new EUR 5 million (or IDR 86 billion) project “Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade in ASEAN”. Over the next three years, the project will support ASEAN Member States, including Indonesia, to reduce illegal logging by strengthening sustainable and legal forest management, improving governance and promoting trade in legally produced timber.

In November 2016, Indonesia made history by becoming the world’s first Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) partner country to issue FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) licenses for timber and timber products exported to the EU market. This is a key element of the FLEGT Action Plan, established in 2003, which aims to reduce illegal logging to ensure that only legally harvested timber is imported into the EU from partner countries.

“Considering the remarkable progress made in Indonesia since 2016, the EU is proud to continue working with Indonesia to strengthen the system that we have established together as well as the dialogue and coordination with countries in the ASEAN region. Timber legality remains a major EU policy to ensure fair trade, forest sustainable management and protection of biodiversity. Together we can ensure that relevant stakeholders benefit from this licensing system, while continuing to ensure the protection of biodiversity,” said Vincent Piket, Ambassador of the European Union to Indonesia.

Results achieved in Indonesia in 2019 include:

  • Growing global recognition of Indonesia’s timber legality assurance scheme, the Sistem Verifikasi Legalitas Kayu, or SVLK.
  • Indonesia exported SVLK-licensed timber products to 191 countries, including EU Member States.
  • 4 491 forest-based enterprises and industries and 29.96 million hectares of production forest are SVLK certified.
  • 100% of timber harvested in natural forest concessions or from plantation forest concessions was SVLK-certified.
  • In 2019, Indonesia exported FLEGT-licensed timber products worth EUR 964 million (9% of Indonesia’s total timber product exports) to the EU, with a combined weight of 746 296 tonnes.

The new project, will improve and demonstrate forest governance, monitoring and sustainable forest management across ASEAN. The project will support regional level coordination and exchanges, as well as the FLEGT processes and reforms in ASEAN Member States.

 

BACKGROUNDER

While tropical forests cover only about 7% of the Earth’s land surface, they are home to nearly two-thirds of the world’s plant and animal species, and store 68% of global terrestrial carbon stocks. Southeast Asia contains 15% of the world’s tropical forests, and includes at least four of the 25 globally important biodiversity hotspots. Forests are major sources of livelihoods, food security, and material production for a significant percentage of the 650 million people in Southeast Asia. If sustainably managed, tropical forests contribute to environmental stability, long-term economic growth and social inclusion of the poor. The region however ranks among the highest in terms of severe biodiversity loss.

As a response to these challenges, the EU’s FLEGT Action Plan aims to reduce illegal logging and trade in associated timber products. Implementation of this EU flagship initiative has generated a very positive momentum, particularly in Southeast Asia, where eight ASEAN Member States are currently involved, at different levels, in FLEGT related dialogues. Regional FLEGT support programmes have also contributed to generate this momentum, resulting in a specific ASEAN FLEG Work Plan for 2016-2025.

Organised around the main objective of the programme, to enhance and demonstrate good forest governance, monitoring and sustainable forest management across ASEAN Member States and in the Asia region, three interlinked components of this action will aim at:

  • Enhancing sustainability and legality of forest sector activities in FLEGT Voluntary Partnerships Agreements’ countries. Those countries are currently Indonesia and Vietnam; negotiations are ongoing with Laos, Malaysia and Thailand.
  • Strengthening regional dialogue on implementation of the EU FLEGT Action Plan
  • Strengthening awareness on sustainable landscapes and best practices

The EU and ASEAN began formal relations in 1977. They continue to deepen their partnership to address global challenges and to work together to reinforce the rules-based international order and multilateralism. The EU is ASEAN’s number one partner in development cooperation with over €250 million of assistance in the last seven years, aimed at strengthening regional integration and supporting the ASEAN Secretariat. This comes in addition to €2 billion of bilateral support to ASEAN Member States.

 

More information

FLEGT – https://europa.eu/!bY84yP

Factsheet on EU-ASEAN relations – https://europa.eu/!uQ47XJ

Connecting Europe and Asia: The EU Strategy – https://europa.eu/!JM73qu

European Green Deal – https://europa.eu/!Tr74bn