Capacity Building on Timber Legality Towards Achieving Sustainable Forest Management

Capacity Building on Timber Legality Towards Achieving Sustainable Forest Management

The Caraga Region in the Philippines, known as the nation’s timber corridor, faces the dual challenges of being the second-poorest region in the country and having high levels of illegal logging. This can be attributed to a focus on raw material extraction without sufficient local processing capacity and value-added industries.

The Caraga Region’s situation has led to significant poverty levels and environmental issues. To address these challenges, targeted capacity building and technical assistance are essential for timber producers in the region. These producers include Community-Based Forest Management Agreement holders (CBFMAs), private tree farmers, Peoples Organizations (POs) under the National Greening Programme (NGP), and selected Integrated Forest Management Agreement (IFMA) holders.

The wood industry is a cornerstone of the Philippines’ economy, contributing significantly to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). For instance, the furniture industry, primarily composed of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), plays a pivotal role. It provides employment to millions of indirect workers and supports a vast supply chain.

The project identifies the gaps in the existing governance framework, institutional mandates, and on-ground community activities and challenges. Capacity-building activities are conducted, with workshop modules designed to address the specific needs of project beneficiaries, enabling them to become sources of legal and sustainable forest products.

This project is aligned with the FAO-EU Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Programme’s Roadmap, which prioritizes capacity building and support to community-based forest owners. The goal is to promote legal sourcing and production of timber and timber products for both local and international markets. The project falls under the FLEGT Action Plan’s Component 4.1, focusing on Equitable and just solutions by supporting community-based forest management and addressing bottlenecks to legality compliance. This ensures that local communities can contribute to legal timber production rather than being sources of illegal logging.

Sustainable Forest Management (SFM), as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is a dynamic concept aimed at maintaining and enhancing the economic, social, and environmental values of all types of forests. It safeguards forest resources and forestlands while ensuring that forest-related activities do not compromise local communities’ health, well-being, and rights. The DENR has adopted SFM as the key strategy for conservation, management, development, and protection of forest resources and forestlands.

This project focuses on educating stakeholders on key aspects of legal compliance to support overall progress towards SFM. It contributes to promoting legal timber production and combating illegal activities, such as illegal logging.

The FAO EU FLEGT Programme plays a pivotal role in improving forest governance, providing technical assistance, and building capacity by funding projects in eligible countries. In line with these objectives, the FAO EU FLEGT Programme supports the project titled “Capacity Building on Timber Legality Towards Achieving Sustainable Forest Management.”