Euro

The People Behind the Projects

Environment > FLEG > Interview with Richard Aishton

We do exactly what we say

The forest is not just about wood-cutting. It harbours animals,
biodiversity, water; it prevents erosion. The EU-funded Forest
Law Enforcement and Governance (ENA–FLEG) project is
trying to make people realize and encourage them to develop
policy that sustains this precious resource. It’s a long road, says
Richard Aishton, IUCN ENPI-FLEG Programme Coordinator,
and we know we will not achieve it in our lifetimes but it’s
important to start out and move towards that goal.
N Richard Aishton

Q: What is the programme trying to do?

Richard Aishton: It’s trying to promote sustainable forest manage-
ment and good consistent transparent governance of forest resour-
ces. For that, we need to establish relationships with the central, re-
gional and local authorities. We are not telling them what to do, but
rather help them to understand the value of their countries’ natural
resources.
Look at the figures: $1 billion a year are lost to illegal logging in the
ENPI region. That’s a lot of money! All or some of that timber can be
processed to benefit all through taxes, as well as business and job
This publication does
not represent the creation. For countries in the region, allowing illegal logging and sel-
official view of the EC ling raw timber means losing profit and possibilities to create jobs in
or the EU institutions.
The EC accepts no
this sector.
responsibility or
How does FLEG achieve its goals?
liability whatsoever
with regard to its When we came to the region we had to identify the focal This is a series of interviews with
content.
points of the governments so we could start talking to them. leaders of projects funded by
We asked what they needed and how we could help. Essential the EU’s Regional Programme,
prepared by the ENPI Info Centre.
for this dialogue are our local experts – people who were born © 2011 ENPI Info Centre / EU
 Interview with Richard Aishton p. 2
ENPI Info Centre > Environment > FLEG

and raised in Armenia, Russia or Ukraine, not us foreigners. So we

do not bring in international experts but find people on the ground.
Throughout the programme, they gain experience, knowledge,
confidence and build capacities for the benefit of their countries. It’s
the in-country people doing their in-country work.
How do local communities benefit from your work?
Let me give you an example: People in a small rural communities
situated in a forested regions either rely on a local central heating
plant or use traditional stoves, for which they need coal or wood.
They need to cut enough wood to keep the houses warm for 3-4
months or even longer depending on the climate. The end result is
“… We do not bring in continued ‘pilfering’ of the forest for many years and whi-
international experts le one instance is not serious, sustained small ‘removals’
but find people on the by many communities over a long period of time adds up
ground… It's the in- to a negative impact on the forest ecosystem. Our FLEG
country people doing Program attempts to help decision makers and the local
their in-country work” population develop their forest resources so they can be
used more efficiently and sustainably. The context of the
relationship between illegal logging and governance is the nexus of
where we work because it provides long-term solutions.
In one of the regions in Southern Russia where I worked several years
ago prior to the ENPI FLEG Program, a project designed to use lo-
cal wastewood for biomass instead of expensive coal helped save
$60,000 in the local energy budget by the end of the heating season.
This money was used for such needs as rehabilitating the park, pu-
tting new windows in the local school, upgrading the heating sys-
tems etc.
Is it expected to have a long-term impact or a ripple effect?
The previous example happens on a local scale, but what happens if
one is able to do it in 1,000 local communities in the ENPI countries?
Suddenly there is this huge benefit that wasn’t there before simply
by using waste product. The solution is good governance unders-
tanding the value of the resource. And what if we look at the secon-
dary effect? Jobs are created and the dominoes begin to fall.
Across the region, the amount of money that can be saved, emis-
sions reduced, forest saved is almost staggering. And it all starts with
regulation, research and prior experience.
ENPI FLEG a multi-layered programme, and the implementing orga-
nizations, the WWF, IUCN and the World Bank are working well to-
gether. All we do is try to help, and it pays off.
What are the achievements of the programme?
The major achievement is the trust that we have built up with the
governments. We took time to engage the governments and they are
fully on board. We have a national programme advisory committee
(NPAC) in each country, involving NGOs and businesses. What’s impor-
tant is that the committee is always chaired by someone representing
the government. So it’s not a black box, but an open discussion.
 Interview with Richard Aishton p. 3
ENPI Info Centre > Environment > FLEG

So as a programme we’ve reached transparency and we do not

contradict it in what we are doing. We do exactly what we say.
Do you have any challenges in any of the countries where you work?
Yes, we actually have challenges in all countries. The main challenge
is the one that people are talking openly in the countries themsel-
ves - corruption. It’s difficult to defeat corruption. For that you need
support from the local community. The people involved in the illegal
activities have to live somewhere, in one of these communities. So,
if the people feel they are losing the local benefit of the forest re-
sources because of a corrupt individual (or more), sooner or later the
community will express its collective voice. Speaking up collectively
is an effective way of cutting to the root of the problem.

“The major achievement [of the

programme] is the trust that we have
built up with the governments”

Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG)

Supports governments of participating countries, civil society and the private sector in the
development of sound and sustainable forest management practices, including the prevention
of illegal forestry activities
www.enpi-fleg.org
Participating countries Objective
Armenia, Azerbaijan, It aims to tackle the growing problem of illegal forest activities in the Partner Countries by promoting
Belarus, Georgia, legal and sustainable forest management and utilisation practices and seeks to strengthen the rule of
Moldova, Russia, law and to enhance local livelihoods.
Ukraine The European Commission grant has been provided to the World Bank through a multi-donor trust
fund. The project’s implementing partners are the World Bank, the IUCN (World Conservation Union)
Timeframe and the WWF (World Wildlife Fund), ensuring that the public and private sectors as well as civil
2008-2011 society are consistently included in the project’s activities.

Budget Find out more

€ 6 million Fleg fiche www.enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=205&id_type=10

The ENPI Info Centre is an EU-funded Regional

Information and Communication project
highlighting the partnership between the EU
and Neighbouring countries. The project is

ENPI info centre

managed by Action Global Communications.

www.enpi-info.eu