EUR 500 000 to support government institutions, civil society and the private sector

Illegal logging is a relevant challenge for the establishment and maintenance of efficient markets and sustainable logging practices in a global economy that increasingly requires guarantees of timber production licit and sustainable.

Illicit practices in the timber sector have resulted in increased environmental damage, particularly forest degradation, but also in the loss of revenue for the government of Mozambique, affecting the development of the sector.

It is in this context that the  FAO-EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT)  Programme has launched yet another cycle of its implementation, providing around EUR 500 000 to support government institutions, civil society and the private sector in actions that contribute to reducing illegal logging and enhancing trade in legal forest products through improved forest governance.

Activities in Mozambique are laid out in a roadmap approved by the National Technical Committee (composed of the National Directorate of Forests (DINAF), Delegations of the European Union and representatives of FAO) which establishes the priority areas for intervention that should receive support in the country.

The first phase began with the receipt of requests for direct assistance aimed at governmental institutions and private sector organizations in Mozambique, aiming at wood tracing and strengthening their institutional capacity. Grants of up to EUR 55 000 are available for this phase.

The next phase of the programme will be launched in May through a competition for national entities to submit proposals for pilot projects to research, design and test a timber tracing system in strategic areas and, strengthening communities and civil society.
Grants of up to EUR 100 000 will be available for this phase to support two thematic areas:

1. Research, design and testing of wood tracing systems in strategic areas,
2. Formalization of Committees on Natural Resource Management, monitoring and control of wood from communities.

From the beginning of the implementation of this programme important results were achieved:
-Increased knowledge on forest governance in the country;
-Training members of the Mozambican Madeira Association in sustainable forest management practices.

The FAO-EU FLEGT Programme contributes directly to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 15 which advocates the protection, recovery, promotion of sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainable forest management, combating desertification, detention and reversal of land degradation and biodiversity loss.

The FAO-EU FLEGT Programme of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations is a global demand-driven initiative that provides technical support and resources for activities that further the goals of the EU’s FLEGT Action Plan. The Programme is funded by the European Union, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, and the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom.