World Resources Institute - Open Timber Portal
Data category
- Environmental data
- Governance data
- Rankings
- Verification/certification data
The data offers solutions for:
- Environmental impact analysis and insight
- Investment decisions and portfolio insight
- Reporting: Other Regulations
Who are the data users?
- Government
- Investors
- Civil society organizations; Journalists and media
Brief description of the data offering
The Open Timber Portal (OTP) is a web platform that promotes compliance with legal requirements in timber harvest and trade by compiling information from government, private sector and third-party forest monitors in producer countries.
The platform aims to serve as a one-stop shop for information on timber producers. It seeks to bring transparency to timber operations and improve access to country-specific information about forest management and harvesting, while increasing the effectiveness of regulations on illegal logging. It does so by making information about on-the-ground management practices and compliance with timber legality requirements public and accessible. The platform currently covers the Congo Basin, but will expand to other regions as resources and opportunities allow.
Where and how do you source your data?
The OTP compiles information from government, private sector, third-party forest monitors and geospatial data. Forest administrations in producing countries provide the OTP with the official concession boundaries and the list of all registered timber producers. Timber producers can voluntarily register on the platform and upload key documents to demonstrate compliance with the legal framework that they operate in. Independent forest monitors can also register on the platform and upload instances of suspected noncompliance by companies and/or by government actors. Lastly, the OTP features geospatial data from WRI’s Global Forest Watch platform on tree cover gain, tree cover loss and integrated deforestation alerts.
What is the cost for your data offering?
No cost. Freely available to all.