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Rainforests and Logging

My Lords, I am unable to give a time frame. I shall check whether we have published one. This has been the subject of much internal discussion. It is a difficult area in which to make commitments with respect to a timetable. However, if one exists, I shall happily make it available to the noble Earl. The noble Lord, Lord Dixon-Smith, also raised some of these issues, particularly with respect to the restoration of degraded forest. There is a proposal from Papua New Guinea and the Coalition for Rainforest Nations to find a new way to give credit for reduced emissions from deforestation. We shall need fully to understand the technical aspects of the proposal before we support it as a way to give credits for reducing deforestation, but we are looking at it very carefully indeed. We are also promoting the restoration of degraded forest land through the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration. The Government, industry and NGOs have made common cause to promote better forest governance and trade. The Government have introduced a public procurement policy that requires central government departments to purchase timber from legal and sustainable sources. Here I come to the points raised by the noble Baroness, Lady Miller. All contractors to government are required to supply timber from legal sources. Contractors are obliged to produce independent verification of those sources. However, EU procurement law prohibits the specification of criteria related to the rights and customs of forest dependent people. The noble Baroness mentioned the Global Opportunities Fund. While there has been a change in our network across the world, I assure the noble Baroness that countries are covered from a lead embassy. As regards the priorities for the Global Opportunities Fund, I shall write to the noble Baroness with respect to her question about areas with particularly severe problems and the extent to which they can bid for funds. Even if countries do not have a direct presence, they will be covered from elsewhere. I shall mention the private sector before I finish. It has adopted a code of conduct and a responsible purchasing policy, and it has also helped to build support across the United Kingdom. Several European countries and Japan—which is important—have since adopted similar codes. Many challenges remain, but the initiatives that I have outlined today suggest that we are making progress. The Government are tackling the governance and market failures that drive illegal and unsustainable logging of forests, and we are promoting the use of markets and incentive-based approaches to pay for and conserve the ecosystem services that forests provide. It is a difficult area, and we have a great deal more to do, but through this work we are making a difference.