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The EU’s trade challenge

The international trading system is facing a crisis – but protectionism isn’t the biggest test EU leaders must deal with.

27/11/2018

Blogs

Shard of light

Negotiations around the timber trade deal between Honduras and the European Union show how diverse interests can be reconciled in a divided land. Isolda Arita reports.

Honduras is a nation riven by conflict, with the disputed p...

11/05/2018

Blogs

The fate of the Congo Basin forests must lie with its people

A light breeze of democratisation is blowing through the Congo Basin – and it is being driven by civil society.In the Central African Republic (CAR), civil society is playing a key role in rebuilding a nation torn apart by civil...

11/09/2017

Blogs

Ghana is on the brink of a major advance in its fight against illegal logging. But now its forests face serious threat from mining.

Between 1990 and 2005 Ghana lost an estimated quarter of its national forest cover. Illegal timber harvesting was rife, and poor governance and a lack of transparency plagued the forest sector.

Things began to change for the...

31/07/2017

Blogs

Blog: What can the EU do to curb corruption in the forest sector?

Corruption. It has blighted countries in every continent for generations, and is identified as a main reason why illegal logging continues at a seemingly unstoppable rate. Each year Transparency International produces a Corruption...

28/06/2017

Blogs

Guest blog: Can forests help revive war-torn Central African Republic?

Bienvenu Gbelo is an environmental journalist from Radio Ndeke Luka in Bangui.

Earlier this month, the United Nations envoy for the Central African Republic (CAR) reminded the world of the neglected tragedy unfolding in my...

22/06/2017

Blogs

Blog: Hope for a hard-pressed community

The head of Tan Hoi village sits cross-legged on the floor describing the pressures his people face.

“The older generation lacks education. The younger ones leave school as early as 11. Only one person has ever graduated from...

20/06/2017

Blogs

Tackling illegal logging in Ghana: Why civil society is generating pressure to deliver a VPA

I have just returned from a two-week policy tour of Europe, visiting decision makers working on the EU Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan in Belgium, Germany, France and the Netherlands. I was hoping...

17/03/2017

Blogs

The Long Wait: Cameroon’s forest communities seek their dues

Almost half of Cameroon is covered by forest, and the sector plays a critical role in the country’s economy.

Yet Cameroon’s forest communities continue to suffer from the exploitation of their forests – while the financial...

07/03/2017

Blogs

A new beginning in the fight against illegal timber

The first batch of timber considered legal under Europe’s most innovative ever anti-illegal logging policy arrived in the UK this month. 

The timber’s seven week voyage across around 20,000 kilometres of ocean - from the heat and...

11/01/2017