Publications

Reports

Making Forestry Fairer

It is widely accepted that in order to keep forests standing, forest policies must be fair and reflect the needs, values and rights of local communities. But turning that aspiration into reality has proved extremely difficult,...

15/04/2014

Briefing Notes

Biodiversity offsetting in practice

This is the third in a series of briefing notes outlining concerns and considerations related to EU proposals to offset biodiversity loss. This briefing note analyses how biodiversity offset schemes have fared so far and shows...

04/02/2014

Securing community land and resource rights in Africa: A guide to legal reform and best practices

This report draws on examples from across Africa to explain key aspects of law and explore ways of identifying, creating and making the most of opportunities for positive legal reform.The EU’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance...

23/01/2014

Reports

Misleading numbers: The Case for Separating Land and Fossil Based Carbon Emissions

The word ‘carbon’ appears with relentless ubiquity in the news and in government policy and legislation. It is discussed as if it were a simple, almost abstract and easily quantifiable substance. However, like many ubiquitous...

21/01/2014

Reports

Misleading numbers summary

This is the summary version of misleading numbers. It outlines that fossil and land-based carbon are not interchangeable and that emissions from fossil fuels cannot be negated by increasing or protecting the storage potential of...

21/01/2014

Briefing Notes

What is biodiversity offsetting and why is it problematic?

Biodiversity is essential to the health of people and the planet and yet European Union (EU) targets to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010 have been missed. In an attempt to remedy the situation, the EU is reworking its...

16/01/2014

Briefing Notes

What is biodiversity and why is it important?

This first briefing outlines what biodiversity is and why it is important. Future briefings will look at both biodiversity legislation and biodiversity offsetting case studies, and propose a way for the EU to protect biodiversity...

09/01/2014

Still exporting destruction: A civil society assessment of Export Credit Agencies’ compliance with EU Regulation (PE-CONS 46/11)

ECA Watch has prepared this ‘shadow report’ — with the support of other civil society groups — in order to assess current ECA practice in relation to issues such as transparency, public accountability and more generally, their...

14/11/2013

Briefing Notes

FLEGT VPA Update November 2013

Every six months, FERN produces an update looking at the present situation with regards the EU's Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, with a specific focus on Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs)....

08/11/2013

Reports

Exploring credibility gaps in Voluntary Partnership Agreements: A review of independent monitoring initiatives and lessons to learn

Independent forest monitoring has been a feature of international efforts to improve forest governance and reduce illegal logging since the 1990s. This study considers the role of independent monitoring, involving civil society,...

11/10/2013