Hontelez presented a statement which he had facilitated on behalf of all the major groups present, representing civil society organisations, business and industry and local authorities. He emphasized that combating illegal wildlife trade, which includes trade in illegally harvested timber, requires action not only in the countries of harvest, but throughout the supply chain and with the end consumers.
Producing countries need to be supported in effective enforcement and with activities to deal with the social and environmental consequences of criminal poaching and harvesting, but this will remain insufficient as long as there is demand for illegal wildlife and timber abroad.
Hontelez therefore called upon consumer countries to step up their actions against the imports and use of products of illegal origin, also when it gets converted in “innocent” products such as paper, furniture, wood panels etc.
Making importing illegal timber and products from it a crime, as the EU, the US and Australia do, is one thing, but effective enforcement of such prohibition is another, and many countries are doing not enough. Moreover, industry has a responsibility and should be forced to apply due diligence in what they resource.
Hontelez called upon governments to give the right example by requiring legality verification, as a minimum, for all relevant products they purchase, and use the existence of credible certification schemes, such as FSC and the Marine Stewardship Council as proof of legality. He emphasized that legality is not equal to sustainable, and that is what these schemes bring as additional value, but legality is a first and essential step towards sustainability.
Background:
The UN Environment Assembly is the new governing body of UNEP, the UN Environmental Programme. It brings together all members of the United Nations, to take decisions on the role of UNEP in the coming years and discuss key environment related global issues.
One of the two issues that the high level segment of ministers dealt with was illegal trade in wildlife, triggered by the dramatically increasing poaching in Africa of elephants and rhinos, but broadened to the bigger picture of poaching and harvesting, which, according to UNEP, is not only an environmental and social disaster, but is creating increasing security issues and damages economies in the countries of origin of between 48-153 billion US dollars/year.
Find the major group statement here.