The Netherlands Timber Trade Association (VVNH) is stepping up its campaign against illegal timber.
It has joined forces with the Keurhout Foundation which now checks that all timber entering the Netherlands complies with the sustainability requirements set by the Dutch government. The Keurhout Foundation stamps approved timber with its own logo enabling traders to easily identify it as coming from a sustainable source.
The Dutch timber sector has also liaised with environmental groups to ask the Dutch government, which holds the EU presidency, to lobby for a European prohibition of illegal timber imports.
Meanwhile, all foreign timber suppliers have been asked to sign a VVNH legality statement, and the Netherlands will no longer conduct business with those that refused to sign.
The VVNH is also active in producing countries. A project aimed at sustainable timber production, which is being carried out by the Tropical Forest Trust and AIDEnvironment, is under way in Indonesia. Fifty-five suppliers will be inspected to establish whether they meet legality criteria.
A second project in Indonesia will make an inventory and analysis of reliable methods to differentiate between legal and illegal timber.
The VVNH and its sister organisations in the UK, Belgium and France are working at European level on a project “Timber Trade Action Plan for Good Governance in Tropical Forestry”.
The plan, which has been submitted to the EU, will involve countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Gabon and Cameroon.
Due to start in 2005, the project will run until the end of 2010 and the organisers hope that by joining forces in Europe, the sector will be able to exert more influence on sustainable timber production worldwide.
