Early findings from a joint EAWLS/Tanzania natural Resource Forum cross-border monitoring project point to a lot of unregulated trade bypassing manned border points.

These are preliminary finds from a project to monitor three border points between Kenya and Tanzania that EAWLS and TNRF have brought to you in this newsletter over the past four months,

Preliminary findings reveal key challenges in enforcement of laws and control of illegal wood and wood products trade. They show that the problem is well known to government and non -Government officials at the three border points covered by the project, namely Namanga, Holili/Taveta and Hororo/Lunga Lunga

They uncover a lot of unregulated trade across the borders that is taking place mostly in the unmanned borders “panya routes” near the main borders. They reveal informal cross border trade activities that involve exchange of substantial quantities of wood and wood products mostly through trucks, hard carts, bicycles, donkeys, motor cycles, buses and pick-ups that lead to huge revenue losses amounting to millions of dollars per year. Official records of traded wood and wood products at the border show that the most traded commodity is sawn timber imported from Tanzania or on transit from Malawi. However there is no standard prescribed form for declaring or assessing the traded goods between Kenya and Tanzania.

They indicate that joint efforts from the two sides of the border points can highly reduce ongoing illegality of timber products. Regional cooperation at policy level, backed by effective and harmonized enforcement and compliance procedures is essential to curb the movement of illegal wood and wood products. It is for this reason that EAWLS and TNRF are planning a regional meeting with senior government officials and East African Community (EAC) to discuss the findings and recommendations of the study in the month of February 2012. A full report of the findings will be provided in the next issue of the newsletter.

By Michael Gachanja, Deputy Director, East African Wildlife Society