Combating Illegal Logging and Corruption in Forest Sector

Illegal logging is one of the most pressing problems of forest sector in Russia. According to miscellaneous data 10 — 35% of timber are logged in our country on illegal basis. In some regions total annual harvest contains up to 50% of timber of illegal or dubious origin (not confirmed by proper documents).

Illegal logging is obtaining, transporting, processing, sale and purchase of timber with violation or by evasion of national and/or regional laws (WWF Position Paper on Illegal Loggings and Forest Crime, April 2002).

KEY TYPES OF ILLEGAL LOGGINGS

• Logging of rare and endangered species;
• Logging in protected areas where logging is not permitted;
• Logging under the guise of thinning and salvage logging;
• Logging in the breach of approved rules and/or technologies;
• Commercial logging by local communities for sale reported as ‘subsistence’ logging.

Even legally harvested timber may be later got involved into illegal trade when customs, transport or trade laws and regulations are breached.

WWF-Russia is actively involved in tackling of illegal logging at the national and regional levels. The WWF reports cite the data of experts on volumes of illegally logged wood and wood of dubious origin, species exported outside the country, and the main flows of illegal timber within the country and buyers of «dubious» timber. WWF-Russia places special attention to foghting illegal salvage (sanitary) logging.

WWF-Russia's position on illegal salvage logging: https://wwf.ru/en/about/positions/salvage-logging/