Hammer marks are applied to logs in the forest to provide information on e.g. species, grade, district of origin by forest department responsible person.

Myanmar has a long history of good forest management and for centuries its timber products, especially natural teak, have been highly valued the world over. In recent decades, however, increased demand for timber, combined with reduced enforcement capacity and conflict in border areas, have seen an upsurge in illegal logging, which has resulted in loss and degradation of Myanmar forests. Realizing the situation, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MoNREC) is making significant efforts to restore Myanmar’s reputation as a supplier of high-quality timber products from sustainably managed forests.

FAO, through FAO-EU FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) Programme, has been supporting MoNREC in improving the Myanmar Timber Legality Assurance System (MTLAS) by analyzing the “gaps” in the system in the context of internationally recognized principles, requirements and best practices. The 2017 MTLAS Gap Analysis highlighted the requirement to enhance the system’s transparency and accountability.

In this regard, MoNREC developed the Chain-of-Custody (CoC) dossier as part of its commitment towards FLEGT process and its crucial principles of transparency and accountability. The dossier aims at assisting operators who trade timber products to demonstrate that the timber used have been legally sourced and the products have been legally produced. FAO-EU FLEGT Programme supports this CoC dossier through the “Promoting understanding of the Chain-of-Custody to support national dialogue on developing a timber legality definition” Project.

As part of the project’s contribution, FAO in collaboration with European Timber Trade Federation supported MoNREC in facilitating the pilot testing/evaluation mission which includes the assessment of MTLAS. The CoC dossier testing/evaluation mission was conducted by NEPCon, an independent party, in Gangaw District, Magway Region. To ensure the transparency and stakeholder participation, representatives from civil society organizations and private sector, members of Myanmar Forest Certification Committee, officials from MoNREC and FAO team joined the mission. The assessment report resulted from this mission will provide MoNREC with recommendations to improve this CoC dossier – in order to meet the requirements of EU Timber Regulation.

Through the FAO-EU FLEGT Programme, FAO will continue supporting the Government of Myanmar to tackle illegal logging, promote trade in legal timber products and ultimately contribute to sustainable forest management (SFM).