Logs of war: the timber trade and armed conflict

This report explores the relationship between the trade in timber and armed conflict. The project examines the link between certain private sector activity and armed conflict, focussing on the question: how does certain private sector activity help sustain armed conflict and what can be done?The paper demonstrates that conflict timber (timber that has been traded at some point in the chain of custody by armed groups) is closely linked with illegal logging, although conflict timber is not necessarily illegal. The paper finds that:allocation of timber concessions becomes a mechanism of rewarding supporters of a non democratic regime and mobilising wealth to prop up this regimethis result has often been massive corruption and loss of revenue to the state. It has also contributed to the erosion of democratic principles as elected politicians and state officials put the right of companies before those of the population they are supposed to representtimber companies become the de facto resource owners and state forestry institutions become the clients of the logging extractorsas timber revenues are separated from state control and the resource is exploited in an unsustainable manner, poverty is exacerbated. This state of disorder suits the perpetuation of these practicesmilitary intervention in other countries is sometimes based around the attempt to control that country’s resources. For warring factions in control of forest land, logging is one of the quickest routes to obtain significant fundingthe need for illegal timber operations to protect themselves with armed militia (even in peace time) has lead to skirmishes between the company and the local community, or the militias of different companiesThe policy recommendations in this report highlight the importance of:transparencyenhanced enforcementlegislative reformcertificates of legalitychain of custodyconsumer and importer counties legislationcustomer collaborationregulating domestic marketsinternational action