Collaborative agreement to address illegal logging in Cameroon signed
Douala, Cameroon, 22nd March—The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife in Cameroon (MINFOF) and TRAFFIC have signed an agreement on collaborating to address illegal logging and trade in products derived from it in Cameroon.
The agreement comes under the umbrella of the Voluntary Partnership Agreements currently being concluded under the European Union's Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) programme and MINFOF.
The two-year ITTO-funded project will strengthen procedures for controlling illegal logging and trading in by-products in order to contribute to transparency in the timber trade in Cameroon.
Expected outcomes include:
- positioning Cameroon as a model example of legal timber exploitation in the Central African sub-region;
- the development of a certification process for all forms of logging in Cameroon;
- a 20% increase, by the end of 2013, of government revenues from timber exports.
