Tackling Illicit Timber Flows in Tanzania
This project is designed to strengthen evidence on timber trafficking in Tanzania's miombo woodlands and identifies strategies for improved enforcement and security.
Introduction
The miombo woodlands constitute the largest forested areas in southern west Tanzania, extending into neighbouring states. This biome is increasingly integrated into global timber markets, supporting local communities and contributing approximately 3.3% to the country’s GDP. However, the high profitability of this sector, coupled with other operational challenges, has provided opportunities for illegal logging. Key infrastructure corridors have facilitated Tanzania’s role as regional trade hub for illicit logging flows, resulting in environmental degradation, economic losses, and support to other types of organised crime.
Despite Tanzania's introduction of a strong legal and policy framework, implementation gaps remain. The lack of resources and training is a significant issue and reactive criminal investigations are often prioritised over intelligence-driven approaches. Moreover, timber trafficking is largely facilitated by inadequate prosecutorial practices and corruption, which both undermine more robust efforts to address the issue and its underlying drivers.
Some initiatives and international funding have been introduced to address wildlife crime. However, their impact remains limited due to the poor understanding of trafficking drivers and weak, incomplete data. Similarly, illicit financial flows are poorly understood, primarily due to the absence of a mandate for enforcement agencies to treat these violations as financial crimes rather than administrative violations. As a result, enforcement, prosecution, and anti-corruption agencies lack the tools to respond effectively.
This project aims to review the evidence and identify timber trafficking patterns, operational approaches and financial flows, to encourage the strengthening of Tanzania’s response to both national and cross-border crime, particularly with neighbouring Zambia.
Sponsors and Partners
The project is funded by the US Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).
The research is part of a broader project implemented by TRAFFIC, with support from RUSI and Wildlife Crime Prevention (WCP).
Aims and objectives
The project aims to strengthen national and cross-border responses to illegal timber trade in the Tanzanian region, particularly arising along the Zambia-Tanzania border and the critical TAZARA railway and TANZAM highway corridor. It specifically intends to:
- Improve the evidence base to support more effective prevention, detection and investigation of timber trafficking.
- Strengthen the understanding of prosecution and adjudication challenges, including factors affecting case outcomes and sentencing.
- Support improved insight into corruption risks within relevant agencies, with a focus on transparency and accountability in the timber sector.
Timber trafficking threatens the conservation of endangered species, but also undermines local livelihoods, depriving them of export revenues from its legal supply. By correctly assessing and understanding the issue, the project aims to inform more strategic and targeted responses by relevant authorities.Â
Over the longer term, this evidence is intended to support increased effectiveness in enforcement and prosecutions, thereby contributing to the deterrence of similar actions. This approach may also offer lessons for replication in similar illicit transport corridors across Africa.