The Lower Mekong in Transition: Latest trends and impacts of China in forest trade

Forest trade in the Lower Mekong region is currently undergoing a significant shift. Viet Nam and Thailand are booming as wood processing and export hubs. Source countries like Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia are transitioning to more sustainable plantation-based timber industries. China plays a key role as an export destination because of the significant domestic consumption of wood products and the size of the wood processing industry for re-export.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is hosting an interview-style side event at the World Forestry Congress to feature insights from governments, private companies, smallholders and financial institutions across the Lower Mekong region to discuss the interface between the timber market demand and efforts to make supply chains legal and more sustainable. It will also paint a vision of how a balance can be found between the growing Chinese market and supply chain actors to achieve a strong and sustainable forest industry in the region and beyond.

Speaker

• Pham Van Dien, Deputy Director-General of the Viet Nam Administration of Forestry

Hosts

• David Ganz, Executive Director at RECOFTC
• Akiko Inoguchi, Forestry Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
• Emelyne Cheney, Team Leader for Asia-Pacific on Forests and Climate at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)