Resources for importers

Country Specific Guidelines (CSGs) outline the legal frameworks used in other countries to regulate timber harvesting. This information can help with your due diligence.
A CSG must be used if you are using the Country Specific Guideline risk assessment method.

Each CSG is accompanied by a Quick Reference Guide. This provides a high level overview of the CSG’s content.

We continue to work with our trading partners to develop and review CSGs. New and updated CSGs will be added to this page as they are finalised.

Canada Country Specific Guideline

Chile Country Specific Guideline

Finland Country Specific Guideline

Indonesia Country Specific Guideline

Italy Country Specific Guideline

Malaysia

Malaysia’s forestry and timber industry operates in three defined regions; Peninsular, Sabah and Sarawak. To assist importers, a Country Specific Guideline is available for each region. The Quick Reference Guide covers all three regions.

New Zealand Country Specific Guideline

Papua New Guinea

Republic of Korea

Thailand

If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility.

The Australian Timber Importers Federation (ATIF) have developed a Legality Compliance Toolkit. This can be used with the information on our website to help you understand and comply with your due diligence obligations. It also provides several useful templates for carrying out your due diligence.

An Addendum updating the main Toolkit was released in 2016. This clarifies and corrects a number of issues with the Toolkit, including updating some of its templates. The two documents should be used together.

The Australasian Furnishing Association (AFA) have developed a Furnishing Industry Timber Due Diligence Toolkit. This can be used with the information on our website to help you understand and comply with your due diligence obligations. It also provides several useful templates for carrying out your due diligence.

A number of third parties have published materials that can be used to inform your due diligence process. We have included a selection below.

How you use these resources is up to you. However, you need to be aware that you cannot rely on a third party risk assessment to satisfy your due diligence obligations. You still need to undertake your own due diligence process.

If you do use these resources, you should be aware that the information on these websites represents the views of a third party and may not be accurate, up to date, or relevant to your due diligence process.

If you have questions about the information in these resources, you should contact the publisher directly.

Australian Government – Smart Traveller
An online resource provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. This website includes assessments of civil unrest, terrorism and armed conflict.

Australia Government – Trading in endangered species
The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment is responsible for regulating the trade in endangered plants and animals into and out of Australia. Our website provides advice on the regulatory requirements associated with trading in endangered timber species.

International Union for Conservation of Nature – Redlist of Threatened Species
The IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species lists plants and animals that are facing a high risk of global extinction. This includes information on geographical ranges and potential vulnerability to illegal logging.

Chatham House – Illegal Logging Portal
The Illegal Logging Portal provides information on the trade in illegal timber. This includes an overview of emerging issues and developments, reports, and a searchable database of global news articles.

Forest Legality Alliance – Forest Products Risk Tool
The Forest Legality Alliance website provides resources to help businesses source legal timber products. This includes a listing of current logging and export bans; country and species specific risk information; and a sustainable procurement guide.

World Resources Institute – Global Forest Watch
The Global Forest Watch website hosts geographical datasets that can be used to analyse and identify illegal logging, including forest change, forest cover and forest use data. The site has concession maps (including names of licensees) for logging and plantation concessions in many countries.

NEPCON – Timber sourcing hub
NEPCON’s timber sourcing hub includes national timber legality risk assessments with information on the risks associated with a particular country, and advice on mitigating actions.

NEPCON – Guide to identifying fake documents
NEPCON has produced a guide to identifying fake timber documentation. This includes examples of forged documents, ways of distinguishing between genuine and fake documents, and advice on what to do if you encounter fake documents.

European Timber Trade Federation – Timber Trade Portal
The Timber Trade Portal includes country profiles outlining timber trade; forestry frameworks; relevant documents; and key points of contact.

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – Public Search Database
The FSC maintains a database with information about certificate holders, logo and label users, certified products, and so on. This information can be used to help verify FSC certification claims.

Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) – Public Search Database
The PEFC maintains a database with relevant information about certificate holders, logo and label users, certified products, and so on. This information can be used to help verify PEFC certification claims.

Transparency International – Corruption Perception Index
The Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranks countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. A low CPI ranking (less than 50) could suggest that a country’s forestry governance arrangements are vulnerable to illegal logging.

Google – Alerts Function
Google alerts is a free service that allows you to monitor online activity for particular search terms. Alerts established for common terms such as ‘illegal logging’, or more specific regions or timber species, can help keep you abreast of emerging issues.

Guidance documents

We have prepared factsheets in the languages of several of our trading partners. These provide an overview of an importer and overseas supplier’s obligations under the illegal logging laws.

They can be used to educate your suppliers on your responsibilities under the illegal logging laws.

Chinese / 中文

General factsheets:

If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility.

Indonesian / Indonesia

General factsheets:

If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility.

Japanese / 日本語

General factsheets:

If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility.

Korean / 한국어

General factsheets:

If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility.

Malaysian / Malaysia

General factsheets:

If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility.

Spanish / Español

General factsheets:

If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility.

Thai / ไทย

General factsheets:

If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility.

Vietnamese / Tiếng Việt

General factsheets:

If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility.