SBR- Content.pmd - INBO

State of the Basin Report - 2003Table 4. Viet Nam* forestry sector output 1990-2000 (m 3 )Item 1990 1995 2000Industrial roundwood 4,669,000 4,425,000 4,556,000Other Industrial Roundwood 1,813,000 2,009,000 2,140,000Particle board 2,000 2,000 2,000Plywood 37,000 37,000 37,000Roundwood 31,203,428 31,218,304 31,241,548Sawlogs+veneer logs 2,856,000 2,416,000 2,416,000Sawnwood 896,000 721,000 721,000Wood-based panels 39,000 39,000 39,000Wood charcoal 109,512 126,659 108,258Wood fuel 26,534,428 26,793,304 26,685,548Note: “*” data are for the whole country rather than for just for the territory withinthe basin.Source: FAO 2002a1.2 Commercial loggingIn terms of commercially-produced lumber and timber, the region as a whole consumes most ofthe wood it produces, but there are significant intra-regional flows, with Cambodia and LaoPDR producing a surplus and Thailand and Viet Nam importing to meet their needs. 4 Demandin the latter two countries is driven primarily by construction needs that cannot be satisfied dueto domestic logging bans. Thailand has banned commercial logging entirely, following annualdeforestation rates as high as 4-5 percent in the 1980s and a series of floods and landslides thatcaused public scandal in 1989. 5 As result, unsatisfied timber and lumber demand in Thailandhas increased pressure on forest resources in Cambodia and Lao PDR. This situation is unlikelyto abate in the near future, with wood demand in Thailand estimated to be increasing at the rateof 5 percent per year. 6Tables 5 and 6 below show the relative importance of forestry exports and provide estimates of thequantity of roundwood logs traded between the LMB countries in 1999. Much of this trade isconducted illegally, in defiance of government established quotas, bans and concession rules. It isthus difficult to accurately ascertain the quantities of wood involved and estimates must be taken asindicative only. Legal logging within government quota restrictions is not considered to present amajor problem in terms of environmental sustainability, although there are issues with inefficientlogging practices and poor planning causing greater forest cover loss and environmental degradationthan is necessary given the quantities being harvested. 7 For example, a considerable proportion ofthe wood harvested in Lao PDR is lost due to poor management practices. 8Illegal logging, which appears extensive in Cambodia and Lao PDR, presents a greater environmentalconcern in terms of sustainability and deforestation, although again, it is difficult to ascertain thequantities of timber involved. There are particular problems with concession operators adjacent toprotected areas logging within the protected areas and merging the illegally-acquired logs with theirlegitimate harvest to avoid detection. Furthermore, the concession granting process is often nottransparent and enforcement is weak, leading to over-cutting of valuable trees at an unsustainablerate. 9 The enforcement of regulation and implementation of policy is made difficult by a lack ofresources for forestry agencies. 10188