Written question asked by Jeremy Corbyn (Labour) on Thursday, 5 June 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 9 June 2008. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Thursday, 12 June 2008 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Forests

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on a moratorium on all logging in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Answer: The UK Government do not believe that a moratorium on all logging in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is either desirable or enforceable. The DRC is a desperately poor country emerging from civil war and it needs to be able to exploit its natural resources in a .sustainable way to drive reconstruction and the provision of basic services. Sustainable logging practices from countries like Mexico and Guatemala show that governments and communities can derive substantial benefits from logging activities. A blanket moratorium would also prevent the emergence of small-scale logging businesses which are an essential element of community-based forest management.

Secondary information