Forests are the key to the world’s environmental well-being. They protect biological diversity, regulate climate patterns and store the world’s carbon dioxide. Their degradation is a pressing social, economic and environmental challenge, affecting the daily lives of millions of people. Nearly ninety per cent of the world’s poorest citizens depend on forests for their livelihoods, but when profit takes exploitive priority over environmental conservation efforts then lives and livelihoods are put in jeopardy.

Weak forest governance, often driven by corruption, is an important factor contributing to the destruction of forests. Illegal cutting represents as much as 80 per cent of the total lumber production in some countries. Estimates suggest that almost US $2.5 billion worth of stolen timber is traded between East and South Asian countries each year. Around the world, annual losses from illegal logging on public lands have been estimated at over US $10 billion by the World Bank.

Transparency International’s Forest Governance & Integrity Programme (FGI) tackles corruption as a primary driver of illegal logging and poor forest management. The programme aims to address corruption at all stages in the timber production chain and examines how it facilitates the unsustainable harvesting, production, conversion, export, import and procurement of timber and wood products. Initiated in the Asia Pacific countries directly impacted by illegal forestry, FGI’s regional centre in Indonesia and local FGI units in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands contribute to curbing corruption and improving forest governance. The Forest Governance Integrity Programme actively builds on and strengthens existing forest governance institutions and initiatives, as well as helping to implement new projects.

A society where corruption-free forest governance and sustainable management enable increased economic development, poverty reduction and environmental protection.

Contact

Transparency International Secretariat
Manoj Nadkarni, Programme Manager
mnadkarni@transparency.org

Michel Gary, Project Manager
mgary@transparency.org