CHALLENGE

According to the analytical studies of the Institute of Incidencia at the Rafael Landivar University, illegal logging in Guatemala represents about 30-50 percent of the annual harvested timber. Based on the analysis of the Integrated Accounting on Forest Products from the Cuente con Ambiente project, legal timber is estimated to make up only five percent, while illegal logging represents 95 percent of the total traded timber.  In 2008, IARNA (Agricultural, Natural Resources and Environmental Institute, Guatemala) in its forest products flows analyses documented that 89 percent of the harvested timber in selected areas was basically uncontrolled timber.

Since 2004, INAB, the forest sector authority agency of Guatemala, and CONAP, the National Protected Area Council, have been involved in implementing activities to prevent and combat illegal logging in forestlands and protected areas.

APPROACH

Since 2008 the FLEG Program (now under PROFOR) has been supporting INAB, specifically by providing assistance in support of the implementation of the Strategy to Combat Illegal Forest Activities. Based on this work,, INAB designed an Action Plan to Prevent and Reduce Illegal Logging, which was approved by INAB’s Board of Directors in February 2010. 

The Action Plan includes legislation and regulatory reforms to reduce illegal activities, review of current forest fees, design of forest control and supervision plans and campaigns and development of forest audit protocols and capacity building activities.

As a follow up to its previous support, the PROFOR-FLEG Program provided technical assistance and capacity building to INAB and other government agencies to design and implement INAB’s Forest Audit System to ensure the control and verification of timber supply in the forest industry (saw mills, processing plants, lumber yards and wood warehouses) located in selected regional administrations in Guatemala, and ensure transparency, accountability and participation of forest stakeholders in law enforcement.

RESULTS

This activity, completed in June 2010, produced analysis, recommendations and programs that are helping INAB and the Vice-President's Office leading government efforts to combat illegal activities in the forest sector. See the technical manual for the control of forest industries and the report on the pilot program for monitoring and control of forest industries in Guatemala (under Download/View on the left).