Vienna, Virginia, USA, 31 March, 2017 –On March 21st, 2017, The Peruvian Government launched a groundbreaking information system to combat illegal timber harvesting and strengthen forest governance. Known as the Control Module of the National Information System for Forestry and Wildlife (MC-SNIFFS), the tool is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Peru Bosques Project and implemented by Chemonics International and Synergy International Systems.
Overseen by the National Forest and Wildlife Service of Peru (SERFOR), MC-SNIFFS is designed to help the Peruvian government curb illegal timber logging, which, according to some estimates, accounts for about 80% of the timber exported annually from the country and constitutes a major threat to Peru’s environmental, economic, and cultural well-being. SERFOR, concessionaires, and sawmills can now monitor the flow of timber in real time from the point of harvest through transportation, transformation, and export through the online tool.
Senior Peruvian government officials, the U.S. Ambassador to Peru, and the USAID/Peru Mission Director attended the official ceremony in Lima. According to U.S. Ambassador Brian Nichols, “We now have a tool that promotes transparency in compliance with the law and regulations.”
The original article is available here
Image Copyright © SERFOR
