Illicit Timber Flows from Miombo Woodlands: The Tanzania Nexus

The miombo woodlands are a vast forest ecosystem spanning nearly 2 million km² across Southern Africa, including parts of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. They are rich in biodiversity, housing species including iconic megafauna and about 8,500 plants, of which 54% are endemic. The woodlands support the livelihoods of an estimated 100 million rural and 50 million urban people, supplying wood fuel and charcoal, food, medicine and grazing resources. By storing significant quantities of above-ground biomass, they also play an important role in carbon sequestration, making their protection and restoration essential for meeting global emission reduction targets.

Within the woodlands, miombo hardwoods are increasingly occupying a significant role in global timber markets, particularly in China, where a surge in demand for 'low end class' African rosewood species to supply Chinese hongmu furniture markets1  has led to significant pressure for illegal logging in large swathes of miombo woodlands. This has resulted in recent global interventions to enhance the protections and trade controls for relevant miombo hardwoods under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).2

As an important source and transit country for international flows of miombo hardwoods, Tanzania has the potential to benefit from sustainable trade, which offers opportunities for economic growth and job creation. However, criminal infiltration and exploitation of the timber sector threaten to undermine this potential in various ways: by driving unsustainable extraction; by diverting financial benefits away from communities and towards corrupt facilitators, foreign beneficiaries and threat actors; and by intersecting with other illicit activities. Despite this, there has been limited systematic research into the nature of the threat which illicit timber flows pose to Tanzania. Existing studies are either outdated or focus on other miombo hardwood producer countries.

This paper fills that gap by reviewing existing evidence of Tanzania's role in regional and international illicit timber flows and interrelated governance and security risks, as well as Tanzania's progress to date in countering the threat. The paper identifies areas that require further research and policy attention.

The first section explores Tanzania's position in international flows of miombo hardwoods. The second section examines risks of corruption and fraud, illicit finance and other converging criminal economies linked to illicit timber flows in Tanzania, such as illegal wildlife trade, minerals crime, arms and drug trafficking and labour abuses. The third section considers Tanzania's legal and enforcement response to timber offences to date and identifies opportunities for a strengthened response. The conclusion offers policy recommendations for Tanzanian policymakers, management authorities and law enforcement and justice agencies, as well as international trade and development partners.

Timber Flows In and Out of Tanzania

Tanzania as a Source Country of Hardwood

The miombo woodlands cover much of Tanzania's central, western and southern plateau, comprising about 90% of its forested area, or 44.6 million hectares (see Figure 1). When timber industry revenues and ecosystem services are considered (such as carbon storage, water regulation, soil quality and pollination), the country's forests are estimated to comprise 20% of Tanzania's GDP, underpinning other key sectors such as energy, agriculture and tourism.