Photo by flickr/leoffreitas

Key links

Also on this site

• VERIFOR Briefing Paper 8 - Multi-stakeholder process: Lessons for the process of timber verification (PDF, 354kb)
• Case Studies of Existing Verification Systems

See also

• VERIFOR Comparative Case Study 7 - Ombudsmen, People's Defenders and Mediators: independence and administrative justice in state transformation (PDF, 402kb)
• VERIFOR Comparative Case Study 6 - The experience of election observers: Lessons for the process of timber verification (PDF, 273kb)

The object of verification can range from just one piece of the system, to several parts of the system or the whole system. These will vary according to objectives and mandates. Some examples include:

• Forest allocation – supervision, gazettement, planning, licensing.
• Legality standards – prioritisation of existing laws and regulations, the development of performance standards
• Monitoring/ control – supervision of forest officers and enforcement agencies, sanctioning/ prosecution, in respect of forest exploitation and land use change.
• Operator compliance – supervision of forest license holders, actors responsible for land use change, processing facilities, exports/imports.
• Revenue – royalties, company taxes, landowner payments.

Using the key principles of verification systems defined by VERIFOR, this section aims to outline some key areas for consideration in verification system design and tools that can be used in verification systems. Current topics covered here are:

• The role of independent forest monitoring.
• The use of techonologies in verification systems.
• The importance of legality standards.

This section will continue to grow as VERIFOR moves towards publishing a book in 2008.