news reports, seizures, policy, development, conservation

Next week, CITES1 will hold the 25th meeting of the Plants Committee. Today, TRAFFIC and the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz, BfN) launch a website and eLearning platform dedicated to Non-detriment findings (NDF) guidance for perennial plants and timber. read full story >

Beijing, China, November 2020—earlier this month, customs officers from China, Cameroon and Republic of the Congo met online during an event entitled “International Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) and Timber Trade Governance Meeting for China-Congo Basin Countries Customs Authorities.” Delegates made firm commitments on intelligence sharing and joint trans-boundary law enforcement actions and spoke about illegal wildlife trade issues related to Chinese businesses operating in Africa.  read full story >

Cameroon, October 2020—last month two train the trainer workshops on timber legality issues took place in Cameroon, in Douala and Nkolandom respectively. Participants were taken through the contents of six training modules developed with the technical support of the Network of Forestry and Environmental Training Institutions of Central Africa (RIFFEAC). The modules covered: legal timber in the Congo Basin; the timber value chain; timber traceability in the supply chain; timber trade; certification of timber; and the legality verification systems. read full story >

Zhangjiagang, China, 30th September 2020—A total of 36 officers representing 24 different customs branches in Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces, and Shanghai Municipality received training earlier this month on Supervision and Regulation of Timber from Endangered Species. The training took place in Zhangjiagang, one of the largest timber importing ports in China and was jointly organised by the China CITES Management Authority Shanghai Branch, Zhangjiagang Customs and TRAFFIC. read full story >

Phu Yen, Viet Nam, 25th July 2020—TRAFFIC has helped build capacity for customs and forestry officials  at a two-day workshop held in Phu Yen province. The event, held in partnership with the Viet Nam Administration of Forestry and the Customs Department, trained officers on timber identification and import/export violations to help stem the illegal flow of timber through Viet Nam.  read full story >

Windhoek, Namibia, 3rd April 2020—a new TRAFFIC study examines the trade in timber species found in Namibia and the country’s role as an exporter of timber harvested in the region. read full story >

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 8th November 2019—A first-of-their-kind guidelines to verifying the legality of timber in trade have been successfully trialled by customs officers in Malaysia and are now available to help enforcement officers worldwide and for localisation to suit national use. read full story >

Ha Noi, Viet Nam, 24th September 2019—TRAFFIC partnered with the Vietnam Forestry Administration last week to hold a two-day workshop for 35 Vietnamese forestry and customs officials to build their capacity in identifying illegal timber and handling violations. The workshop, which wrapped up on Friday in Vinh Phuc province, provided key insights into international timber trade and current trade scenarios in the country, guidelines for verifying timber legality for customs, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the identification of wood and wood products. At the workshop, TRAFFIC also disseminated its Guidelines for Verifying Timber Legality for Customs, a toolkit to support customs and forestry officials. read full story >

Cambridge, UK, 18th July 2019—IUCN has today released the latest updates to the Red List of Threatened Species. They include assessments of a wide range of fauna and flora, everything from wedgefishes and giant guitarfishes to primates, various tree species, freshwater fishes, lanternfishes, European fungi, and a variety of insects and amphibians. read full story >

Hanoi, Viet Nam, 11th March 2019—the second phase of a TRAFFIC project working to reduce illegal timber exports kicked off last month, with a suite of activities planned in Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, Viet Nam, and China. read full story >

Yokohoma, Japan, 14th November 2018—the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) has completed the 54th Session of its Council, covering issues related to the conservation of tropical timber species as well as broader objectives surrounding sustainable development and trade. read full story >

Brussels, Belgium, 7th November 2018—Belgium’s central role as an importer and distributer of wildlife products within the European Union (EU) was highlighted today with the launch of a new joint TRAFFIC and WWF Belgium report at the nation’s Houses of Parliament.  read full story >