Controlling Illegal Logging

Over the last few years, illegal logging and the associated trade in illegally harvested timber has emerged as one of the greatest threats to forests around the world. Various initiatives have been developed and are being pursued to tackle the problem, amongst which is forest/timber certification. A number of certification schemes exist and are currently being widely used by various Governments as part of their timber procurement policy. But even within the existing certified forests, there is still evidence of illegal and unsustainable activities. This book therefore assesses the extent to which forest/timber certification is likely to provide an effective instrument in the current global fight against this growing problem. Although the situation is not peculiar to one country, the author uses the United Kingdom (UK) and Cameroon in most instances to illustrate more general issues. Limitations to the use of certification and suggestions on how to overcome them are analysed, among other ideas. The analysis should help shed some light on this legal instrument, and should be especially useful to policy analysts or anyone else who may be interested in the illegal logging debate.