Corruption in the forestry sector and illegal logging

Illegal logging is a worldwide phenomenon. Through illegal logging much higher rents can be extracted from forests than through legal operations. Corruption is almost always deeply intertwined with illegal logging. The problem of corrupt officials in forest administrations is aggravated by the fact that the majority of forests worldwide are public and thus at the mercy of those officials.
Illegal logging adversely affects society: It has devastating economic, ecologic and social consequences. In order to counter forest corruption as well as illegal logging, improved law enforcement is a precondition. Concomitant measures are, for instance, the improvement of the institutional framework of a state, and increased civil society participation in policy shaping, management, implementation and monitoring processes. Economic measures such as cutting red tape, increasing competition or reducing scarcity rents for wood are also important aspects of the fight against corruption.