Other indicators for legal timber trade of Honduras

Bans & quota

The export of hardwood species from natural forests is only allowed as transformed or processed wood. Exporting hardwood species as roundwood or only squared logs is prohibited.

CITES and protected species

There are several tree species from Honduras that are CITES-listed.

CITES Appendix I:

• Guatemalan fir (Abies guatemalensis)

CITES Appendix II:

• Bigleaf mahogany, or “Caoba del Atlántico” (Swietenia macrophylla)
• Cedro (Cedrela, neotropic populations). Coming into force as from August 28, 2020.
• Dalbergia nigra (Dalbergia spp.)
• Granadillo (Platymiscium pleiostachyum)
• Honduras mahogany, or “Caoba del pacifico” (Swietenia humilis)
• Lignum vitae (Guaiacum spp.)

National action on timber legality

In 2010, ICF adopted a national strategy for the control of illegal harvesting and transport of forest products (ENCTI).

In January 2013, Honduras was the first country in the Americas to enter into negotiations of a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) – Acuerdo Voluntario de Asociación (AVA), in Spanish - on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) with the EU. On June 14, 2018 the EU and Honduras concluded the VPA negotiations and marked the formal end of the negotiations by initialing the document, ahead of signing and ratifying it. The agreement will help improve forest governance, address illegal logging and promote trade in verified legal timber products from Honduras. Through the agreement, Honduras also expects to modernise its forestry sector, improve business competitiveness and address issues such as land tenure.

To implement the agreement, Honduras will develop systems and procedures to verify that all timber and timber products for export and domestic markets comply with relevant laws and regulations. The VPA also provides for the establishment of complaints mechanisms and independent audits, as well as commitments to transparency in the forest sector.

Of the 15 countries now negotiating or implementing a VPA with the EU, Honduras is the only one to have recognised indigenous peoples as a distinct group alongside government, civil society and private sector representatives in the process to shape the agreement’s content. As a result, the agreement directly addresses issues affecting indigenous peoples.

The EU and Honduras will jointly oversee implementation of the agreement. This substantial task will require the continued commitment and engagement of all stakeholders. Once the VPA is fully implemented, Honduran shipments of timber products to the EU will have to be accompanied by a FLEGT License, demonstrating their legality. FLEGT-licensed products automatically meet the requirements of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), which prohibits the placing of illegal timber on the EU market.

In March 2019, Honduras and the EU concluded the second meeting of the VPA Pre Joint Implementation Committee.

The signature of the agreement was planned for 2020, however the process was being delayed because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

VPA implementation activities to date may not have delivered many firm and final results yet, but work is on-going, with regular consultancies, workshops, meetings and trainings being carried out (Technical Secretary of the VPA) with EU support. In relation to land tenure issues, achievements during the 2007-2018 period have included the registration of 90,956 ha of productive forest and 646,534 ha located in protected areas in the national property, real estate and commercial registry in favor of the State of Honduras (Catalogo del Patrimonio Público-Forestal Inalienable) while protecting the rights of indigenous and Afro-Honduran communities. More information: Honduras VPA web page