FAO.org

A 'logging vehicle tracking system' is being piloted in the Congo Basin to intercept illegal timber at different points in the forest supply chain.  The approach is being piloted through civil society organization Resource Extraction Monitoring (REM), which has developed vehicle tracking technology to bolster law enforcement and monitoring of forests. The thinking goes that technology will result in efficiency gains for forestry agencies and companies managing forest resources, improve accountability and traceability. So far, the results have been promising.

“The logging vehicle tracking Live Monitoring System developed and field tested during this initiative delivers powerful data sets in an effort to aid law enforcement and other monitoring bodies in their day-to-day activities,” explains Valerie Vauthier, Director of REM.

“Real time visibility of assets and their precise geographical location has the potential to address over-exploitation, illegally logged timber and to reduce the need for expensive and time consuming field team monitoring/law enforcement. It also provides significant benefits to logging companies including proof of legality, better control of the dispatch of vehicles as well as management of logging operations with reduced impact,” she adds.

Meeting demand for reliable and accurate information

Both producer countries and European Union (EU) based enforcement agencies, including the EU member state Competent Authorities, who, under the EU Timber Regulation, have responsibility for stopping illegally produced or traded timber entering into the EU, have an increasing need for reliable and accurate information.

The Congo Basin harbours the world’s second largest rainforest after Amazonia, covering an area of some 300 million hectares. Rich in biodiversity and a key resource for stabilizing global climate, it has been suggested that Congo Basin tree species may be even larger carbon storehouses than their Amazon counterparts because of their larger height. FAO estimates however that the area has lost some 700 000 hectares of forest each year from 2000-2010. Illegal logging contributes to this loss.

Using technology to track timber has been piloted in the past to combat illegal logging through the Global Timber Tracking Network, for example, that used DNA and stable isotope markers to track the supply chain of timber products. In this vein, the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) produced a Machine Vision Automated Wood ID System (MV) a self-contained portable unit that identifies wood samples of the commercial woods of Central America, based on the premise that botanical identification of wood and wood products is a limiting factor for law enforcement, and that the process needs to be automated. REM’s approach, however, is slightly different. After many years of Independent Monitoring in the forest sector, it became clear that rotational forest management systems for large-scale concessions were not being respected. This was identified as a major infraction throughout the fifteen years of independent monitoring of forest law enforcement and governance in the Congo Basin and elsewhere. REM has attempted to address this recurring infraction – a core reason for the entry of illegally produced timber into the supply chain – by developing the Live Monitoring System to track vehicles used for forest exploitation.

“Having local law enforcement agents in the field at the felling of every tree recording all actions is neither practical nor feasible, especially in contexts open to bribery and collusion,” explains Stuart Wilson of REM. At the same time, “it is not possible to transport a log weighing several tones without heavy machinery, this should be possible to monitor”.

So far, the first prototype of a logging truck tracking device has been built and field tested in the UK and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Second and third prototypes have also been successfully field tested in DRC in partnership with a logging company.

Complementing technological innovation with capacity development

The use of technology in the forest sector has been criticized, however, because of the challenges at the country level. Designing and applying such systems is complex and comes with a cost, not just for developing the system, but also running the system in the long-term. This includes the costs of licensing and maintenance of these technological solutions, the capacity needed to implement such systems, as well as implementation difficulties such as connectivity and power-supply once the system is developed. In short, technology is not a silver bullet.

However, REM has considered these challenges in its approach by complementing technological innovation with capacity development. In this particular project, REM worked in Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo by supporting the implementation of independent monitoring by national organizations.

“REM continues to provide strategic guidance and technical support at a distance to the regional Independent Monitoring (IM) NGOs and their national partners which have taken on the IM. In this particular project, our objective was to ensure a smooth transfer of responsibility to local organizations so as to not diminish the flow of reliable information on forest legality to the broad range of stakeholders that require it,” explains Vauthier. “Presenting information on forest illegalities documented by monitoring NGOs in a useful format to EU Competent Authorities or timber buyers seeking to apply due diligence is crucial in the years to come in order to maximize their exploitation,” she adds.

A list of generic infractions applicable to African countries has also been established to support the consolidation of IM data. REM eventually plans to remove itself as lead organization to allow this new capacity to continue to develop and take on more responsibility. REM’s role will become one of technical support and provision of strategic guidance in the development of new projects in the Congo Basin.

This initiative is being funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization’s FLEGT Programme.

For more information, please see: http://www.flegt.org/map-of-projects/#projects/136.