Honduras to certify wood products exported to the EU

By Bufete Mejia & Asociados

The European Union–Honduras voluntary partnership agreement (VPA) on forest law enforcement, governance and trade (FLEGT) entered into force. This trade agreement aims to provide a legally binding framework that ensures that all timber and relevant timber products imported from Honduras to the EU are legally sourced. It also aims to strengthen the enforcement of forest law, governance, accountability and transparency in Honduras.

Honduras will set up a timber legality assurance system to assess that timber products for all stages of the supply chain have been produced in accordance with national legislation. The system will build on already existing national initiatives to strengthen forest governance, and when it is fully operational, Honduras will start issuing FLEGT licenses. Honduran products with this license will automatically meet the EU timber regulation requirements, and more easily meet equivalent market requirements beyond the EU.

FLEGT licenses are seen as a valuable tool in the fight against illegal logging and deforestation because they provide a clear and traceable way to demonstrate the legality and sustainability of timber products. By creating incentives for timber-producing countries to improve their forestry practices and governance, FLEGT licenses contribute to the protection of global forests and the promotion of responsible timber trade.

Almost 60% of the territory of Honduras is covered by forests, half of them tropical rainforests. From 1990 to 2020, the country lost 9% of its forest coverage due to the effects of climate-related hazards, forest fires, pest and disease, deforestation and forest degradation, and illegal logging.

The forest sector has been an important contributor to the Honduran economy, but in the past years the country’s exports have been decreasing due to stricter timber market requirements and stronger attention to the legality of harvesting and forest governance. With the VPA, Honduras can change this trend, enable the forest sector to regain its place in the international timber markets, provide rural jobs, and boost its national income.

Honduras was the first Latin American country to sign in February 2021 a VPA with the EU under the FLEGT Action Plan. It is the first-ever VPA to feature a broad and inclusive consultation process involving all stakeholders, including indigenous and afro-descendant peoples as a distinct group alongside government, civil society, and the private sector.