Ghana makes strides against illegal logging

While the European Court of Auditors recently chided the European Union for not adopting an initiative to combat illegal logging, Ghana was praised for almost fully embracing the plan since it was introduced 12 years ago.

Along with Indonesia, Ghana has made the greatest strides toward achieving full licensing under the EU Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT). 

FLEGT was introduced in an effort to control climate change by eliminating illegal logging in order to limit carbon emissions. 

"Four countries (Greece, Hungary, Romania and Spain) have not yet fully implemented the EU Timber Regulation, which was introduced to prevent illegal timber entering the EU market,” Karel Pinxten, a member of the European Court of Auditors, said. “As the chain of control is only as strong as its weakest link in the single market, illegal timber could still be imported into the EU via these four countries. Europe, on the other hand, has promoted a licensing scheme to ensure that timber-producing countries around the world export only legal timber. The EU should, firstly, put its own house in order and set an example in tackling illegal logging and the trade of illegally harvested timber.”

The European Court of Auditors cited a lack of adequate planning and a lack of clear funding priorities toward timber-producing countries as important factors contributing to the initiative's lack of progress.