Combating illegal logging in Ukraine

Illegal logging remains a major issue and threat to the integrity of the country’s forests. This is a significant conservation issue, as many of Ukrainian forests include globally important stands of Old Growth and High Conservation Value forests, e.g. newly protected Old Growth and Natural Forests, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Primeval Beech Forests in the Carpathian eco-region, etc.

State monitoring is heavily criticized as being corrupt and significantly influenced by the existing political system. Independent forest monitoring is important for revealing and recording forms of forest crime such as illegal logging, mining, construction, dumpsites, etc.

The project will empower active citizens, national and local NGOs, as well as interested government institutions through the use of modern technology and experts technical and policy expertise to address problems of corruption, illegal logging and forest conservation in Ukraine. Moreover, it will enhance appropriate forest management, communities, law enforcement and policymakers with additional tool to monitor and check the sustainability of forestry methods used in Ukrainian forests as well as state controlling agencies.

Project aims to improve democratic and rule of law processes between public and law enforcement to work together to reduce forest crime in Ukraine and beyond.

Objectives

1. Continue Independent Forest Monitoring over high value conservation and other forests in Ukraine to prevent illegal logging.

2. Establish scientifically based Timber Identification Procedures for wood samples, supporting ongoing law enforcement efforts to tackle illegal logging associated crime.

3. Engage public, volunteers, and other community groups in democratic processes to strengthen democratic culture and tolerance, develop urban forestry, social and other modern initiatives for effectively protecting biodiversity, sustainable use of forests, and climate change mitigation efforts. 

4. Improve State Actors capacities in strengthening legislative procedures, law enforcement, transparent decision-making and planning for, as well as sustainable use of local forest resources, transparent timber supply chain initiatives, climate mitigation efforts, implementation of forest management policies, standards and practices, etc. that follow Euro-Atlantic standards.

Outcomes

1. Enhanced democratic and rule of law processes among law enforcement, land managers and NGOs and other community groups to work together to reduce forest crime. 

2. Improved understanding and compliance of legal frameworks and Western standards of forest certification and management.

Main Results

• Established Independent Forest Monitoring Group Procedure (including the involvement of Forest Monitoring Alert System) helps to find out illegal logging places and cooperate with law enforcement institutions.

• Established Timber Identification Procedures supported ongoing law enforcement efforts to tackle illegal logging associated crime.

• Public and forest owners/users, local administration in L’viv region aware about the typical ways of forest restoration in the region and how to restore, protect, and improve forests in a more climate resilient and biodiversity enhancement way. 

• State Actors supported by developed legislative proposals are able to improve sustainable use of forest resources, law enforcement, etc. based on Western models.

• NGOs, community groups, and volunteers know or have access to the procedures on how to engage in democratic processes that hold land managers and users accountable for transparent forest use practices.

• State Actors in a selected region engage communities in decision-making and planning for, as well as sustainable use of, local forest resources.

The project includes 6 main activity areas, 18 sub-activity areas, and 54 activities planned and is implemented through the following sub-projects:  

• Development of an integrated web-oriented system for displaying planned logging;

• Institutional development of CSOs;

• Forest Guard;

• TILab;

• IllTimber;

• Forest BioPlant;

• Urban BioBird;

• Forest Law.

The implementation area is national but mostly in western Ukraine and Polissia were the main forested areas are situated, as well as in the city of L’viv where the main NGO office is situated.

Donor: Forest Service U.S. Department оf Agriculture