19 March 2024 - In the heart of every forest lies a story. The rustling of leaves in a gentle breeze; the scent of damp earth underneath your feet; the towering trees that form a dappled pattern of sunlight onto the forest floor.
Forests provide a tranquil haven for a diverse array of wildlife. They are home to indigenous peoples and local communities. Forests provide food and shelter for many – but they remain vulnerable.
Corruption drives forests to extinction and with them withers intricate ecosystems and communities. Most importantly, corruption destroys the relationship between humans and nature.
Ahead of the International Day of Forests, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) talked to Daniela Sota Valdivia, UNODC Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, whose work has focused on supporting authorities in preventing and countering corruption and crimes that affect the environment.
Q: Are forests in danger?
Yes, in the last 30 years we have lost 10 per cent of our forests, which is equivalent to losing 37 football pitches of forest every minute since 1990.
Q: Why is protecting forests from the impacts of corruption so important?
Forests are one of our greatest hopes to mitigate climate change. Our lives depend on the large amounts of oxygen that they produce. On top of that, they absorb billions of metric tons of CO2.
Forests are also home to wildlife. They host 68 per cent of the world’s mammals, 75 per cent of the world’s birds, 80 per cent of the world’s amphibians. If forests are lost, so too is their biodiversity.
Q: What makes forests so vulnerable to corruption? Could you provide some examples?
There are several factors that make forests vulnerable to corruption. One of the main factors that attract criminal activities is the immense economic value of the land on which forests grow. For example, products like chocolate and shampoo require palm oil for their production. We are more than 8 billion people in the world. Can you imagine how much land for palm oil plantations is needed to meet the demand for these products?
Many companies legally obtain access to land for their palm oil plantations. But there are others that may bribe public officials to obtain permits so that they can exploit forests in protected areas. Some would even influence policymakers to adopt legislation that favors exploitation of forests rather than their conservation.
On top of that, forests are geographically vast, which complicates oversight and enforcement of regulations.
Q: What are some of the challenges faced in addressing corruption within the forestry sector, and how can governments and stakeholders overcome these challenges?
In my view, there are three key challenges. Firstly, once the act of corruption facilitates forest loss, forests are lost forever. We are not able to recover them in our lifetime. There is no time served in prison or any amount of money that can bring back what forests have to offer.
The second challenge is that once actions to prevent and counter corruption in one country are taken, it is very likely criminals would switch their focus to countries where controls are weaker.
Lastly, we need all countries to recognize that they all play a crucial role in protecting what is left of our forests.
Q: Through your work, have you identified any successful approaches or strategies to counter corruption in the forestry sector? Any lessons learned from them?
There are more than 70,000 tree species. Similarly, there are as many or more options to counter corruption linked to forests. There is no blanket policy intervention or practice that can address corruption in the forestry sector. Rather, we need programmes that are tailor-made and consider the characteristics of the region where they are implemented.
From my experience, institutional corruption risk management processes are a great tool to initiate and accelerate the use of crucial anti-corruption tools within these institutions, including complaint intake and corruption reporting systems, codes of conduct and operating procedures for issuing permits.
Q: UNODC launched the publication “Rooting Out Corruption” in December last year. How would you suggest this research to be used by key stakeholders?
“Rooting out Corruption” should stimulate discussions among government and key stakeholders, such as the private sector and civil society, on reversing forest loss by preventing and deterring corruption.
The publication also highlights some cases which should be taken as examples of commitment by several governments to protect forests. Adjudicated cases that punish corrupt actors are a rare find that require extensive efforts. We need to change a common belief that if there’s an adjudicated corruption case, it means that corruption is widespread in that country. Rather, it should serve as an example of tangible efforts to save the lungs of our planet and bring perpetrators to justice.
Q: What do you hope will be the key takeaways or impacts of “Rooting Out Corruption” in terms of informing policy, shaping discourse and driving action to address corruption and forest loss?
I hope that it encourages all of us to take action now. Immediate action against corruption is needed so that we can save our planet and for countries to deliver on the international commitments such as the Sustainable Development Agenda and the Paris Agreement.
“Rooting Out Corruption” is available in English, French and Spanish
Learn more about UNODC’s work on tackling crimes that affect the environment:
Thematic Areas in Anti-Corruption: Crimes that affect the environment (unodc.org)
