Promoting sustainable management of national forests

They said the main trend in the business involves compliance with the voluntary partnership agreements under the European Union’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Action Plan (FLEGT).

The agreements as applicable to Vietnam are intended to combat the illegal trade in timber, said Vice President Nguyen Ton Quyen of the Vietnam Timber and Forest Product Association.

Additionally, Quyen said they support FSC certification, which guarantees the responsible management of forest resources. Financing mechanisms such as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) are also actively promoted.

Thus, the project has a huge impact in the area of climate change and is of prime significance to the industry in that it will significantly impact future exports to the nation’s key export markets.

Quyen told those in attendance that currently the top four export markets for timber and timber related products in descending order from first to fourth are the US, Japan, China and the EU.

One can fully expect that in the not so distant future the US and EU markets will ban all imports from Vietnam if the nation fails to implement policies in compliance with the international standards promulgated by FLEGT.

Currently, pilot programs are being administered at the national level from Hanoi, with activities carried out in the provinces of Yen Bai, Quang Binh, Kon Tum, Dak Lak and Ninh Thuan.

In conclusion, Quyen noted that in the context of integration offering more opportunities for businesses to expand consumption markets around the globe it also introduces more market risk for failure to comply with international standards, and particularly those related to the environment.