"Statistics on Illegal Logging in Ukraine – Terra Incognita?" Webinar Summary

During the webinar, experts from NGO ForestCom presented the results of the analytical study “Report on the Volumes of Officially Documented Illegal Logging in the Forests of Ukraine in 2024.”

Dmytro Karabchuk, Executive Director of NGO ForestCom and Program Coordinator, emphasized the lack of a unified reporting system and legislation that would regulate the mandatory accounting of illegal logging. This creates a significant gap in statistical records at the state level. In fact, the responsibility for collecting such information falls on the civil society sector, for which the process is lengthy and resource-intensive.

Natalia Kaplia, legal expert at NGO ForestCom noted: “Data on illegal logging volumes are collected through public information requests. That means more than 150 requests to forest users every year.” At the same time, it is important to consider the difficulties in finding contacts, especially of municipal and private forest users, who are often simply impossible to reach.

Oleh Storchous, lawyer and expert in forest legislation, highlighted the imbalance of the legal framework regulating unauthorized logging. This leads to slow progress in court proceedings, conflicts of interest between communities and forestry enterprises, and cases of illegal logging initiated by the forestry enterprises themselves.

The event is produced by NGO «ForestCom» with the support of the Askold and Dir Fund as a part of the Strong Civil Society of Ukraine - a Driver towards Reforms and Democracy project, implemented by ISAR Ednannia, funded by Norway and Sweden.