Illegal logging

Illegal forest activities cause major problems, including siphoning off government revenues, which could be used to finance poverty alleviation and sustainable forest management programs for local communities. In addition, unlawful revenues can foster vicious cycle of bad governance. Moreover, illegal forest activities are a major contributor to deforestation, biodiversity losses, forest fires, and distortion of the market. However, illegal logging is an intertwined issue, since illegal forest activities need to be understood and addressed at several levels (local and national) and with a range of instruments (e.g. political and economic).

Illegal logging primarily has economic roots because many stakeholders are involved such as companies, local people, corrupt politicians, and government officials. However, illegal logging has governance roots too. Weak governance processes and politicians exercising political patronage or seeking to fund development activities outside forestry sectors facilitate the illegal activities. These illegal activities have positive and negative implication to local livelihood. Short term consequences are cash income, but this income is partly reduced by a number of outlays (materials such as chainsaw and bribes) and lead to loss of future livelihood opportunity and environmental services.

Media, NGOs, and broader public involvement are needed to fight against the multi-stakeholder illegal forestry activities.

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