The forests of Mongolia protect watersheds and water supply, and as a source of timber, fuel wood, pine nuts, berries and game they are saviors and sustainers of livelihoods. Mongolia's forestry sector is currently in crisis, with illegal logging devastating accessible forests, particularly around urban centers. Lack of reliable data means that estimates of timber consumption vary widely, but levels are clearly well above the sustainable harvest for Mongolia's slow growing forests. Lack of planning and active management, lack of inventory, loss of capacity, and corruption have together led to significant degradation of forest quality, and have created virtual anarchy in the forestry industry. The publication reviews the current situation, examines action to date and makes a series of recommendations for bringing control to, and prosperity from, Mongolia's forestry sector. This report represents a novel and unconventional approach to the very serious subject of illegal wood supply in Mongolia. Rather than just relying on official statistics, which have many drawbacks, the team sought information from a range of sources, such as direct interviews with government officials and others working in the sector; field observation of illegal activities, often in the dead of night; and indirect approaches using various data sources to test assumptions. Wood Supply in Mongolia: The Legal and Illegal Economies is the latest in a series of studies on environmental issues in Mongolia produced by the Environment and Social Development Department of the East Asia and Pacific Region of the World Bank. The report is closely linked with the World Bank’s concern about the adverse impacts of weak governance on the management of natural resources, identified as a key issue in the Environment Strategy for the East Asia and Pacific Region.  Read the full report (pdf format, 2MB)
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