EU-Funded Initiative: Boosting Forest Governance

The European Union, EU, in collaboration with the World Resources Institute, has wrapped up a fouryear project launched in 2021 to curb illegal forest activities in Cameroon through the promotion of the Open Timber Portal (OTP) – a platform designed to enhance transparency in forest management, particularly in the Congo Basin. The project, implemented by a consortium of Cameroonian civil society organisations – the Field Legality Advisory Group (FLAG), Forestry and Rural Development (FODER), and the Centre for Environment and Development (CED) – had its results presented in Yaounde on Tuesday, April 28 during a workshop. The initiative sought to support efforts to reduce illegal logging in Cameroon through the effective implementation of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA). VPAs are designed to ensure that timber and timber products exported to the EU comply with the laws of the producing country. Three key outcomes were achieved. First, the consortium generated reliable data to strengthen legality and governance within the forestry sector. This information – sourced from public authorities, forest operators, and independent observers – was made publicly accessible via a portal tailored to Cameroon’s FLEGT/VPA context. Secondly, the platform has become operational and is being used across Cameroon, as well as in Europe and Asia, to support the enforcement of forestry laws and the regulation ...