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Constructing a transnational timber legality assurance regime: Architecture, accomplishments, challenges

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  • Overdevest, Christine
  • Zeitlin, Jonathan

Abstract

The emerging transnational timber legality assurance regime comprises a set of interrelated policy instruments, both public and private, aimed at controlling trade in illegally logged wood and wood products. The potentially productive interactions among these instruments in the emerging forestry regime create prospects for engendering learning, stimulating cross-fertilization, and enhancing accountability. In this article, we analyze the EU's Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative, interacting with public legal timber regulations and private certification schemes, as the core of an emerging transnational experimentalist regime. An experimentalist regime of this type may provide a promising approach to addressing contentious transnational environmental issues like forest governance where there is no global hegemon to impose a single set of rules. However, experience with FLEGT implementation suggests that there are also a number of outstanding challenges to constructing an effective timber legality assurance regime, which if unresolved could undermine its promise. The argument proceeds in three steps, based on an exhaustive analysis of recent developments. First, we outline the architecture and promise of the emerging timber legality assurance regime. Then, we review key accomplishments to date. Finally, we examine the ongoing challenges facing this innovative regime as it moves forward, and consider how they might be overcome through the adoption of a more consistent experimentalist approach.

Suggested Citation

  • Overdevest, Christine & Zeitlin, Jonathan, 2014. "Constructing a transnational timber legality assurance regime: Architecture, accomplishments, challenges," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 6-15.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:forpol:v:48:y:2014:i:c:p:6-15
    DOI: 10.1016/j.forpol.2013.10.004
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Karsenty, Alain, 2019. "Certification of tropical forests: A private instrument of public interest? A focus on the Congo Basin," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 1-1.
    2. Nathan, Iben & Chen, Jie & Hansen, Christian Pilegaard & Xu, Bin & Li, Yan, 2018. "Facing the complexities of the global timber trade regime: How do Chinese wood enterprises respond to international legality verification requirements, and what are the implications for regime effecti," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 169-180.
    3. Zhang, Yan & Chen, Chen & Ma, Baojie & Jin, Shaosheng, 2024. "Trade effects of transnational timber legality assurance regimes: Evidence from the lacey act amendment on China’s forest product exports," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    4. Hansen, Christian P. & Rutt, Rebecca & Acheampong, Emmanuel, 2018. "‘Experimental’ or business as usual? Implementing the European Union Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Voluntary Partnership Agreement in Ghana," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 75-82.
    5. Pirard, Romain & Pacheco, Pablo & Romero, Claudia, 2023. "The role of hybrid governance in supporting deforestation-free trade," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    6. Köthke, Margret, 2020. "Implementation of the European Timber Regulation by German importing operators: An empirical investigation," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    7. Yin, Zhonghua & Wang, Fang & Gan, Jianbang, 2020. "Spatial spillover effects of global forest product trade," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    8. Satyal, Poshendra, 2018. "Civil society participation in REDD+ and FLEGT processes: Case study analysis from Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia and the Republic of Congo," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 83-96.
    9. Singer, Benjamin & Giessen, Lukas, 2017. "Towards a donut regime? Domestic actors, climatization, and the hollowing-out of the international forests regime in the Anthropocene," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 69-79.
    10. Dieguez, Laura & Sotirov, Metodi, 2021. "FSC sustainability certification as green-lane for legality verification under the EUTR? Changes and policy learning at the interplay of private governance and public policy," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).

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