Large concessions in Africa embark on legality verification
Three concessions held by the company SODEFOR in the DR Congo have successfully gone through Verification of Legal Origin (VLO) assessments carried out by the Rainforest Alliance. The concessions total to 621,225 ha of African rainforest.
SODEFOR, a large forest management company has embarked on legality verification for three of its 16 concession areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The assessment marked the first Rainforest Alliance timber legality verification assessment in Africa and was carried out in January 2011.
The move represents a significant advance in a country rife with illegal logging. The scope of the Verification of Legal Origin (VLO) assessment covers three concessions: Nkaw, Lelo and Nteo, totalling an area of 621,225 ha.
Most of the timber from the DRC is exported to Europe, where there is a fast growing demand for verified legal timber on the global marketplace thanks to buyers’ focus on sustainability and also new strict US and EU regulations on timber trade.
Legality assurance is the first step
“We are happy to say there are several additional legality verification assignments under way in the region”, notes Verification Services Manager of the Rainforest Alliance Christian Sloth. “Our legality verification system is built in such a way that our clients work towards FSC certification in a step-wise approach”, he explains.
The basic level is VLO, and the more advanced level of legality verification is Verification of Legal Compliance (VLC). The VLC level is the level required by the EU timber regulation and the US Lacey Act. The final step is FSC certification. “All clients of our timber legality verification program are committed to this final goal”, states Mr. Sloth.
In Asia, interest in timber legality verification is already well-established in the region and it continues to grow. The Rainforest Alliance recently concluded its second legality verification in China. Guangzhou Homebon is a company based in Guangdong Province of China that produces flooring and veneer products from sources in China, US and Germany.
