Cross-border collaboration to fight illegal logging and timber trade to protect trans-boundary Greek-F.Y.R.O.M. ecosystem

AITOLOS stands for “Cross-border collaboration to fight illegal logging and timber trade to protect trans-boundary Greek-F.Y.R.O.M. ecosystems”. It is a project funded under the IPA Cross-border programme. AITOLOS aims to answer the need for integrated regional action on monitoring forests in order to minimize Illegal logging and the cross-border trade in illegally logged timber, which is currently a major concern among many countries worldwide.

The AITOLOS project aims to foster cross-border collaboration and coordinate the activities of Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia against illegal logging and timber trade. Specifically, AITOLOS contributions are towards the following directions:

• Assess current legal framework and define specific recommendations for enhancing legal and regulatory framework in order to fully address legal aspects of illegal logging/trade.
• Develop policy guidelines for addressing illegal logging, with a special focus on cross-border timber trade.
• Develop an operational plan across participating border regions for implementing policy/guidelines, including the technical specifications, stakeholders roles, monitoring mechanism, timetable and budget.
• Engage in communication and dissemination activities at regional,national and European level, presenting developed policy guidelines and regional operational plan.
• Conduct two implementation pilots, one per country, in order to assess project results in real-world situations. Pilots will run in forest offices of Goumenissa and Bitola.