BASELINE STUDY 5, Thailand - Forest Trends

Forest Trends is a Washington, DC- based international non-profit organization that works to expand the value
of forests to society: to promote sustainable forest management and conservation by creating and capturing
market values for ecosystem services; to support innovative projects and companies that are developing these
new markets; and to enhance the livelihoods of local communities living in and around these forests. Forest
Trends analyzes strategic market and policy issues, catalyzes connections between forward-looking producers,
communities and investors, and develops new financial tools to help markets work for conservation and people.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors wish to thank Jean-Philippe Leblond for providing insightful comments on an earlier draft. We also
thank Michael Jenkins and the rest of the Forest Trends staff for their support, in particular Christine Lanser for
her research assistance and compilation of trade charts, and Anne Thiel for her editorial and design assistance.
METHODOLOGY
The data used for this report was collected by Kevin Woods and based on literature reviews as well as semistructured
interviews with RFD officials, academics in Thai universities, and the private sector. In all cases, interviewees
were told that that the study was funded by the European Forestry Institute and would likely result in a
public report. Unless otherwise noted, data on wood import and export volumes was compiled by James Hewitt
for the European Forestry Institute. The primary source of these trade statistics originates from the Customs
Department of the Kingdom of Thailand. Additional sources were World Trade Atlas and UN Comtrade. Also,
Thai newspapers were an important source for secondary data. Donor reports and web-based newspapers
were instrumental in obtaining secondary data. Every effort has been made to provide pertinent analyses and
accurate quantitative figures on the Thai forest product trade. Also, it should be clear that while this report
strives to be as comprehensive as possible regarding the forest law enforcement, governance and forest products
trade in Thailand, some aspects of this initiative may not have been captured.
© EU FLEGT Facility, BASELINE STUDY 5, Thailand: Overview of Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade, July 2011
This Action is funded by the European Union and the governments of Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. The views expressed herein
can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.
www.euflegt.efi.int
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