News

Forest governance, 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

Guest blog: Why the failed Unilever takeover matters for forests

Whether one global mega-corporation succeeds in buying another global mega-corporation is not normally a subject of much interest to environmentalists. 

Kraft Heinz’s rapidly abandoned US $143 billion tilt at Unilever is...

07/03/2017

Time to decide: Civil society points to advances delivered by Cameroon VPA, and its potential

As a decision regarding the future of Cameroon’s Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) approaches, parties are assessing the VPA’s effectiveness and achievements and exploring all possible options. Cameroon’s VPA - signed in 2010...

08/02/2017

Hailing some positive changes in the Republic of Congo

Despite continued illegal logging and conversion of forests, a recent decision by Republic of Congo (RoC) Minister of Mines offers a glimpse of hope that positive change is possible for forests in that country.

In December 2016,...

08/02/2017

Climate change linked to animal products: Germany proposes action, the EU thwarts its own goals

Germany’s Federal Environment Agency (UBA) is calling for higher taxes on animal products, given that meat and dairy production make a hefty contribution to climate change. Indeed, livestock production generates roughly 14.5 per...

08/02/2017

News in brief February 2017

Fern is deeply concerned about the attack on Cercle d’Appui à la Gestion Durable des Forêts (CAGDF) offices in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo (RoC), 25 January 2017. A civil society organisation focused on issues of forest...

08/02/2017

Palm oil plantations in Cameroon ‘took away families’ crop land and burial lands’, hear participants at event in EU Parliament

Testimonies on the devastating impact of palm oil production in Colombia, Cameroon and Liberia were the subject of a high level event in Brussels today attended by several MEPs and policymakers. It comes just ahead of a crucial...

07/02/2017

EU Commission and Member States consolidate support for the FLEGT Action plan

From 6 to 16 February 2017 Fern and five of its partners from Cameroon, Ghana and Liberia toured Europe to discuss the future of the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan with EU officials, Member States...

06/02/2017

Forest governance, 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

Press Releases

European Commission grants Drax a license to destroy forests at public’s expense

The UK’s biggest power station Drax can continue destroying forests and releasing greenhouse gas emissions at the taxpayer’s expense, after the European Commission today approved millions of pounds of additional UK renewable...

19/12/2016