The parliament voted 644-25 in favour of the legislation, paving the way for the new rules to come into effect from 2012.

The regulations still need to be rubber stamped by the European Council of member states, although the final approval is expected to be a formality after the council signaled last month that it would support the legislation.

The new rules will close a loophole that has made it possible for European firms to import and sell timber that has been logged illegally.

A 2007 report by TRAFFIC estimated that up to 97% of timber exported from Tanzania, the source of much of the world’s African blackwood, originated from illegal logging.

Under the new regulations, all companies importing and selling timber in the EU will be required to demonstrate that they have exercised adequate due diligence to ensure their timber has been felled legally.

European environment commissioner Janez Potocnik welcomed the passage of the legislation, arguing that the regulations marked a significant step towards tackling illegal logging.

“Combating illegal logging will bring environmental and development benefits, ” he said. “With this, we are sending a signal to the world that the EU will no longer serve as a market for illegally harvested timber.”

He added that the new rules would also strengthen the EU’s hand as it seeks to work with developing countries to implement forest governance and protection schemes. Industrialised countries have faced criticism from some developing nations who accuse them of intervening to try and stop rainforest clearance, while failing to tackle the global demand for tropical hardwoods that drives illegal logging.

The timber was cut into woodwind instrument billets at Sandali Wood Industries, Tanga, ahead of importation to the UK by Klicksi Ltd.

On arrival in the UK, the timber is destined for use by Hanson Clarinets, the UK’s largest clarinet manufacturer, who are aiming to launch the world’s first FSC-certified woodwind instrument in early 2011.

Together with the Tanzanian Village Forest Reserves, certified under a FSC group certificate held by Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative, Hanson Clarinets, Klicksi and Sandali Wood Industries comprise the world’s first chain of custody for African blackwood.

After harvesting in the Tanzanian Village Forest Reserves under FSC environmental and social guidelines, the African blackwood is kept separate from non-FSC timber at all stages of the chain of custody.

The end result will be a musical instrument available for purchase with a 100% environmental and social guarantee.

EU companies will be obliged to carry out “due diligence” on their timber supply chains to ensure that imported timber is legally harvested.

Companies that fail to comply with the regulations will face fines based on the environmental damage caused by the activities.

“Substantial penalties would apply in cases of non-compliance, which could be calculated on the basis of environmental damage caused,” the European Parliament said in a statement.

It is hoped that the new legislation will have a similar impact in the EU as the Lacey Act has had on the timber market in the US, where high-profile companies including Gibson Guitars have face investigation.

MEPs and the European Council have reached a provisional agreement that there should be a “prohibition” on illegal timber in the EU and MEPs will vote on the proposal in July before it is presented to the European Council in the autumn.

Finnish Green MEP, Satu Hassi, said: “I am delighted that the Parliament was able to secure fundamental improvements to the draft regulation on illegally harvested timber.”

African blackwood was once common across east Africa but is now confined to a small area of southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique. The disappearance of the species threatens the livelihoods of some of world’s poorest people who rely almost entirely on the resources of the forest for their survival.

Sound & Fair and it’s international partners, are now promoting a source of sustainably harvested timber, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and Nicholas Daniel has committed his support to persuade both instrument manufacturers to use it and consumers to demand instruments made from it.

Nicholas Daniel says: “In the next few months the first ever crop, a sizeable one, of FSC-certified African blackwood, will be available to be made into instruments.

“I am so excited and proud to be involved with this remarkable project, that pays for the first time a proper rate to growers in Tanzania, one of the poorest countries in the world.

The world’s first harvest of FSC-certified African blackwood was carried out in December 2009 in Kikole village forest reserve in southern Tanzania. Kikole received a payment of around £1,200 in return for 15m³ of African blackwood, a sum 400 times greater more than they would have received before FSC-certification.

Nicholas Daniel says: “It is time that we, as players, look at the wood of our instruments as something that grew, that someone tended, owned and harvested. It is no longer acceptable that anyone is treated unfairly in the making of our beautiful instruments, or that someone in a country far away with few of the benefits we have suffers as a result of our search for beauty.

“We can help directly in this situation, and we can make a difference. We just need to express our commitment and enthusiasm for FSC-certified wood with our makers, and make it clear that we want a fair deal for growers in Tanzania.”

The wood is currently being processed at an FSC-certified sawmill in Tanzania and will shortly be exported to the UK for use by the woodwind instrument manufacturers.

Nicholas Daniel will be performing and talking about African blackwood at the International Double Reed Society Conference in Oklahoma, USA, from 22-26 June 2010.

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Read the story written by Lucy Siegle on the Guardian website.

The pledge was included in last week’s hastily drafted coalition agreement.

It remains to be seen how the measures will be implemented but such legislation is long overdue in the UK, which until this point has ignored it’s role in placing legal responsibility on wood importers to ensure that timber originates from legal sources.

The current lack of legislation places all legal enforcement responsibility upon producer countries, many of whom have under-resourced forestry and law enforcement departments and suffer from corruption at all levels. In effect, illegal wood becomes legal as soon as it is exported to the UK.

In the US, the Lacey Act is already enforcing responsibility upon wood importers and famous users of timber, including Gibson Guitars, who recently fell foul of the Act after importing illegally harvested Madagascan rosewood.

The EU is currently under-going a review process on similar legislation but it will be 2014 before the measures are implemented, assuming they are ratified by the member countries.

It is not clear at this stage if the Coalition Government’s pledge is tied in with the EU legislation or if the UK will introduce unilateral measures.

Either way, the fact that the issue of the importation of illegal timber is getting high level recognition is a big step in the right direction.

African blackwood is the most commonly used wood in the manufacturing of instruments such as traditional Irish flutes, as well as other woodwind instruments such as clarinets, oboes and bagpipes.

Tom Roche, Director of Just Forests says: “For Just Forests this is a dream come true. We are delighted to partner with Sound & Fair in this very practical project through our Just Music initiative. This partnership will engage Irish musicians and Irish musical instrument makers with our fight against poverty and un-fair forest exploitation.”

The world’s first harvest of FSC-certified African blackwood was carried out in December 2009 in a Village Land Forest Reserve managed by Kikole village, southern Tanzania, under the guidance of the Mpingo Conservation Project.

Kikole received a payment of around £1,200 in return for 15m³ of African blackwood, a sum 400 times greater more than they would have received before FSC-certification.

The wood is currently being processed at an FSC-certified sawmill in Tanzania and will shortly be exported to the UK.

Neil Bridgland, Sound & Fair Campaign Manager, says: “Sound & Fair looks forward to working with Just Forests in reaching out to Irish woodworkers and establishing FSC-certified African blackwood as the standard source of supply for flute makers. Through FSC, flute manufacturers have an opportunity to facilitate a ‘win-win’ situation of environmental sustainability for the forests of Southern Tanzania and poverty alleviation for some of the world’s poorest people.”

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The article is not available online but can be downloaded as a PDF here:

Download Oryx Conservation News April 2010

The FSC-certification of Hanson Clarinets, the UK’s largest clarinet manufacturer, completes the world’s first FSC chain of custody for sustainably harvested African blackwood.

The chain of custody links all handlers of FSC-certified African blackwood, starting with forest harvesters in Tanzania and ending with instrument manufacturers and retailers in the West, providing consumers with independent verification that the wood used to produce their instruments originates from a sustainable source.

Alastair Hanson, Co-Founder of Hanson Clarinets says: “We are proud to become the world’s first FSC-certified maker of woodwind instruments. We buy our wood responsibly to help safeguard the hugely valuable natural resources of the tropical forests that provide the material needed to make clarinets.

“We hope that our commitment will help persuade other makers to join in protecting endangered species and in turn work to protect the future for forests, wildlife, communities and of course music.”

The world’s first harvest of FSC-certified African blackwood was carried out in December 2009 in a Village Land Forest Reserve managed by Kikole village, southern Tanzania, under the guidance of the Mpingo Conservation Project.

Kikole received a payment of around £1,200 in return for 15m³ of African blackwood, a sum 400 times greater more than they would have received before FSC-certification.

The wood is currently being processed at an FSC-certified sawmill in Tanzania and will shortly be exported to the UK.

Neil Bridgland, Sound & Fair Campaign Manager, says: “This a massive step forward in our campaign to realise a sustainable trade in African blackwood timber and help lift some of the world’s poorest people out of poverty.

“Many years of hard work have gone into creating the required infrastructure in Tanzania to export FSC-certified hardwoods and now we have the commitment of one of the UK’s major woodwind instrument manufacturers to drive the process through.

“Very soon clarinet players will be able to make purchasing decisions based on ethical considerations as well as quality.”

Hanson Clarinets expect to launch the world’s first FSC-certified clarinet in late-2010.

DOWNLOAD PDF VERSION OF PRESS RELEASE – 21 APRIL 2010

All the major woodwind instrument manufacturers will be exhibiting at the event – Loree, Buffet Crampon, LeBlanc, Marigaux, Selmer, Yamaha – plus numerous of other less famous companies.

Neil Bridgland, Sound & Fair Campaign Manager, says: “This is the one time of the year when all the players in the woodwind industry are together under one roof and accessible.

“We will be presenting the chain of custody objectives of the Sound & Fair campaign to each of the major manufacturers and clearly stating that current timber procurements are undermining both biodiversity and human livelihoods.

“Only by purchasing FSC-certified African blackwood can a company justifiably claim that their products originate from sustainable sources.

“Any companies making such claims, without the kind if independent verification provided by FSC, are operating in a state of denial”.