Peter Wood, speaking on behalf of Global Witness, gave a presentation on 21 January 2010 at the Chatham House Illegal Logging Stakeholders Update in London, on “Moving SFM from Exploitation to Restoration Within a Finite Forest.” Wood described the need to rapidly transition away from the industrial model of tropical forestry, based on large-scale logging of intact natural forests, towards community based management that prioritises the restoration of degraded land. He also challenged the concession-based model of forestry that currently dominates the Congo Basin, noting that relying on logging companies to provide basic health care and education services can undermine a community’s ability to challenge unsustainable rates of harvest.
