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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 11:32 am
Time: 11:32 am
Results for deforestation
34 results foundAuthor: Transform Drug Policy Foundation Title: The War on Drugs: Causing Deforestation and Pollution Summary: Examining a range of environmental issues surrounding the war on drugs, the briefing includes several case studies as well as sections on: •The futility of drug crop eradications •The aerial fumigation of drug crops, a practice that is still permitted in the world’s second most biodiverse country, Colombia •The deforestation that occurs as law enforcement drives drug crop producers into ever more remote and ecologically valuable regions •The pollution caused by unregulated, illicit drug production methods While some of the consequences of the war on drugs are relatively well known and understood by those aware of the issue, the environmental impacts of current drug policy are seldom given proper consideration. This must change. As this briefing outlines, if these environmental costs are to be minimised or avoided, alternative forms of drug control must be explored. Details: London: Transform Drug Policy Foundation, 2011. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 12, 2012 at: http://www.countthecosts.org/sites/default/files/Environment-briefing.pdf Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.countthecosts.org/sites/default/files/Environment-briefing.pdf Shelf Number: 123591 Keywords: Crop EradicationDeforestationDrug ControlDrug PolicyEnvironmentPollutionWar on Drugs |
Author: Wainwright, Richard, ed. Title: Exporting Destruction. Export Credits, Illegal Logging and Deforestation Summary: Exporting Destruction is the conclusion of research that included fieldwork in China, desk studies, and a new financial review, all commissioned to shine a light on the role that export credit agencies (ECAs) play in financing global deforestation. Through detailed case studies and historical research, FERN has been able to produce a set of policy recommendations that would, if implemented effectively, bring export credits in line with other publicly-funded institutions and reduce their potential for negative social and environmental impacts. The paper suggests that while the primary, if not sole, remit of ECAs is to promote their country’s domestic industries in competitive and risky environments, particularly in poor emerging markets, the huge amounts of money involved mean that they also have an important effect on policies and actions in the countries in which they support projects. To put their size in context, ECAs underwrite around US$100 billion annually in medium and long-term credits and guarantees, compared with, for example, multilateral development banks, which have a combined total of US$60 billion in loans per year. ECA involvement in activities that have fuelled unsustainable, and often illegal, deforestation in a number of countries has been documented since the mid 1990s. Evidence in this paper, gathered from community groups around the world, suggests that a number continue to be centrally involved in the sector. Their significance is primarily the result of their 'door opening' public finance status, as well as their focus on countries that are a high-risk for commercial operators, usually those which also lack the institutional governance to regulate their industries effectively. Direct ECA support for logging or timber trading is minimal because they are not particularly capital-intensive sectors, but significant support from ECAs has been instrumental in aiding the infrastructure and pulp and paper sectors for the last fifteen years, particularly for controversial expansion projects in Indonesia. FERN’s report shows that this support was, and continues to be, ‘blind’, not taking environmental or social issues into account or investigating whether operators’ prospectus documents were based on realistic assessments of the nature or ownership of the forest resource. This lack of ‘ground-truth’ in assessing projects is shown to be one of the core problems of ECAs. Although taxpayers fund them, their remit is often limited to economic considerations, and they are not currently subject to the binding environmental, social, human rights or transparency standards by which other public sector agencies are governed. The case studies clearly show that this has led to increased illegal logging, corruption and the opening of previously isolated forests. Indeed, experience highlighted in the studies suggest that no ECAs have the relevant procedures in place to identify and address the flawed operating and expansion model that much of the pulp and paper sector has followed. What's more, by aiming for very low-transaction costs, most ECAs have little internal capacity for assessing the environmental or social impacts of the operations the help to finance. This report calls on Governments to urgently address the negative impact that ECA-supported operators have internationally, particularly in sensitive sectors such as forestry, and to develop safeguards that would ensure that the operations of export credit agencies do not serve to undermine international commitments to sustainable development and good governance in some of the poorest countries in the world. Such policies should draw on those already in place in most multilateral banks and some of the largest commercial ones, and be resourced and monitored to an extent which ensures diligent implementation. More specific details on what these policies should look like in the forest sector and how ECAs could be brought into line with two decades of their national governments commitments to tackle illegal logging and unsustainable deforestation can be found in Chapter 7. Details: Moreto, in Marsh, UK: FERN, 2008. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 6, 2012 at: http://www.fern.org/sites/fern.org/files/media/documents/document_4155_4160.http://www.fern.org/sites/fern.org/files/media/documents/document_4155_4160.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Europe URL: http://www.fern.org/sites/fern.org/files/media/documents/document_4155_4160.http://www.fern.org/sites/fern.org/files/media/documents/document_4155_4160.pdf Shelf Number: 125484 Keywords: Crimes Against the EnvironmentDeforestationIllegal Logging |
Author: Environmental Investigation Agency Title: Crossroads: The Illicit Timber Trade Between Laos and Vietnam Summary: The land-locked country of Laos (officially the Lao People’s Democratic Republic) lies at the heart of the Mekong region and has some of the largest tracts of primary rainforest left in mainland Southeast Asia. Home to large mammals such as the tiger and Asian elephant, and many ancient, endemic and endangered species, these forests retain a treasure trove of biodiversity. Laos’ forests also support the livelihoods of millions of rural and indigenous people. In 2008, 70 per cent of the country’s population was rural, equivalent to 4.2 million people.1 These communities rely on forests for a host of services and livelihoods, such as food, fuel, building materials and medicine. Yet Laos’ forests are seriously threatened by over-exploitation causing serious deforestation. One of the main threats is logging to feed the timber processing industries of neighbouring countries Vietnam, China and Thailand. As these countries have implemented strict controls of logging inside their own borders, exploitation of Laos’ forests has increased. Laos’ forest landscape is also increasingly denuded by infrastructure development, hydropower projects, mines and plantations, leading to further unsustainable and illegal logging. While forest cover statistics vary in accuracy, what is certain is that the rate of deforestation in Laos today is alarmingly high. Forest cover has fallen from an estimated 70 per cent in the 1940s to just 41 per cent by 2002. The annual rate of forest loss in the past two decades is more than 90,000 hectares.2 Much of the remainder is composed of seriously degraded forest with little biodiversity value.3 The implications of forest loss for Laos’ wealth of biodiversity are severe. Large mammal species are under pressure from the wildlife trade and now face a fragmentation and loss of habitat. Already, conservationists expect that Laos’ biodiversity might not be as abundant as commonly stated.4 The communities which rely on Laos’ forests are being increasingly marginalised by development policies which pay scant regard to their traditional livelihoods. According to the United Nations Development Programme, non-timber forest products provide 90 per cent of the income for the poorest families in Laos.5 Forests also play a vital role in supplying clean water supplies and in water resource management generally. Water, in turn, is particularly important for both hydropower, a key element of the Lao Government’s development strategy, and in irrigation systems, a key Government objective to guarantee food security for rural households. 3 As logging and infrastructure projects increasingly deprive these communities of their livelihoods, laws enacted to ensure they are compensated for forest exploitation are routinely ignored. Far from improving the plight of its rural people, Government policies on management of natural resources are making survival harder. Details: London: EIA, 2011. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: http://www.forestlegality.org/files/fla/eia_uk_crossroads_jul_2011.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Laos URL: http://www.forestlegality.org/files/fla/eia_uk_crossroads_jul_2011.pdf Shelf Number: 125505 Keywords: DeforestationForestsIllegal Logging (Laos, Vietnam)Offenses Against the Environment |
Author: Banerjee, O. Title: Modeling Forest Sector Illegality in a Dynamic Computable General Equilibrium Framework: The Case of Forest Concessions in Brazil Summary: The Brazilian forest sector has undergone crisis due to complexities involved in investment in an insecure political environment, a regime of ambiguous property rights, forest sector illegality and enormous pressure for agricultural expansion. To address these challenges, Brazil’s Public Forest Management Law was approved in 2006 enabling private forest management on public forestland. By assessing the policy in a dynamic computable general equilibrium framework we find that household welfare improves and legal forestry grows at an accelerated rate. In the absence of improved monitoring and enforcement, however, forest concessions are shown to have a depressing effect on the price of forest land and accelerate illegal forestry operations. Details: Santiago, Chile: Twelfth Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis, 2009. 43p. Source: Conference Paper: Internet Resource: Accessed September 30, 2012 at Year: 2009 Country: Brazil URL: Shelf Number: 126520 Keywords: DeforestationForest Management (Brazil)Illegal Logging (Brazil)Natural ResourcesOffenses Against the Environment |
Author: Yadav, N.P. Title: Forest Law Enforcement as an Underlying Driver of Forest Governance in Nepal Summary: Historically, forest of Nepal is exploited by rulers of the state for revenue generation and political interest. Although strong and protection oriented forest laws with judicial power to district forest officer has been formed but it was not enforced effectively, consequently deforestation and illegal logging continued. Since 1980 the participatory forestry emerged and restoration of forest cover in the hills and the relation of people and department of forest improved. DoF staff changed from policing to service providers. People oriented bylaws and guidelines prepared by the ministry of forest and several donors and NGOs involved in forestry sector for facilitating community based forest management. To some extent the process of community based forest management has brought positive impact considering the different dimension of forestry benefits. However over all forest governance is becoming poor due to weak forest law enforcement at different level. The annual deforestation rate and different form of illegality are increased and also foster corruption. Government mode of forest operation is command and control, hierarchical, bureaucratic and informal rules of the game is often take precedence. The outcome of this system became in favour of politically and economically powerful people. Local interests marginalised, passive forest management due to lack of specific plan, ‘timber men and politicians’ become de facto owners of the resource and state foresters become their agents–professionalism is undermined etc. The legal ownership on Nepal's forest is mainly lies communal and government authority with essence of common property that hinder good governance. The major characteristics of ‘good governance' are such as participatory decision-making process, accountability, transparency, responsive, effective and efficiency, equitable and inclusiveness which are weak in forestry institution because of vested interest of stakeholders. Over all the status of law enforcement for forest protection in Nepal is very weak; and legal instruments for penalties and punishment are largely ineffective. Weak forest law enforcement is an underlying driver of poor forest governance that causes forest degradation and corruption. The government mechanisms have been unable to control forest encroachment, illegal logging and wild-life poaching, which resulted in a substantial loss of forests cover and wild lives. The Quality of forest administration and plan based forest operations is important for good governance. To a great extent, the new concept is emerging to involve many more actors for improving forest governance. In particular there is a realization that plan based, multi-stakeholder processes and joint monitoring are key drivers to improve forest governance. The participation of multi-stakeholders in the process of decision making and implementation of forest operations is elements that support to improve forest governance and reduce corruption and crime in forestry sector. Details: Nepal: Forestry Nepal, 2013. 9p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 23, 2013 at: http://www.forestrynepal.org/images/publications/Yadav_2012_forest_governance.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Nepal URL: http://www.forestrynepal.org/images/publications/Yadav_2012_forest_governance.pdf Shelf Number: 128101 Keywords: DeforestationForest ManagementIllegal LoggingWildlife ConservationWildlife Crimes (India)Wildlife Law EnforcementWildlife Management |
Author: Yasmi, Yurdi Title: Forestry Policies, Legislation and Institutions in Asia and the Pacific: Trends and Emerging Needs for 2020 Summary: Continuing high rates of deforestation and forest degradation and the poor contribution of forests and forestry to poverty reduction are undermining efforts to promote sustainable forest management (SFM) in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region. It is often argued that by implementing appropriate policies, legislation and institutional arrangements SFM can be attained and that widespread economic, social and environmental benefits will result. Almost all countries in the region have moved towards SFM at the policy level and in many countries institutional structures are also gradually changing. This report reviews the status and trends in forestry policy and institutions and outlines the extent to which changes in policies, legislation and institutional arrangements aimed at supporting transitions towards SFM have been effective. Trends in governance and the extent to which efforts to tackle illegal logging have been effective are also assessed. Details: Bangkok, Thailand: FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, 2010. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Asia-Pacific Forestry Sector Outlook Study II, Working Paper Series, Working Paper No. APFSOS II/WP/2010/34: Accessed March 25, 2013 at: http://www.forestrynepal.org/publications/book/4953 Year: 2010 Country: Asia URL: http://www.forestrynepal.org/publications/book/4953 Shelf Number: 128120 Keywords: DeforestationForest Conservation PoliciesIllegal Logging (Asia)Natural Resources |
Author: Environmental Investigation Agency Title: Checkpoints: How Powerful Interest Groups Continue to Undermine Forest Governance in Laos Summary: In July 2011 the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) released a report entitled Crossroads, revealing how well-connected companies in Vietnam and the Lao PDR (Laos) were profiting from illicit timber trade between the two countries. The report found significant trade in raw logs from Laos to Vietnam, in contravention of the former country’s stated policy of banning the export of unprocessed timber. In March 2012 the Government of Laos (GoL) stated that it would take “serious action” to reduce the export of unprocessed natural resources, including timber, in order to support domestic industries. Yet on the mountainous border with Vietnam, policy continues to diverge with reality. Further recent investigations by EIA show that it is business as usual and that the plunder of Laos’ forests continues unchecked. A handful of powerful firms are still moving logs across the border, aided by murky exemptions from timber export controls apparently granted by the upper echelons of the GoL. In 2012, once again, unprocessed Laos logs flooded into coastal cities in Vietnam to feed its voracious furniture industry. This briefing details the main findings of research and fieldwork conducted by EIA in 2012. Details: London: EIA, 2012. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 28, 2013 at: http://www.eia-international.org/checkpoints Year: 2012 Country: Laos URL: http://www.eia-international.org/checkpoints Shelf Number: 128156 Keywords: DeforestationForest Management (Laos)Illegal LoggingNatural Resources ConservationNatural Resources Management |
Author: Environmental Investigation Agency Title: Appetite for Destruction: China's Trade in Illegal Timber Summary: In November 2011 China hosted the annual Asia-Pacific Forestry Week meeting conference at an impressive and vast centre near the Olympic Stadium in Beijing. During the week-long event participants from around Asia and beyond discussed a range of issues, encompassing China’s impressive reforestation programme to the links between deforestation and climate change. The meeting coincided with the tenth anniversary of the landmark Bali Declaration agreed at the East Asia ministerial meeting on Forest Law Enforcement and Governance in 2001. This event marked the first time governments from the region, including China, had come together to address the threat posed by widespread illegal logging. Yet meaningful discussions on illegal logging were strangely absent from the Beijing conference. This was probably out of deference to the hosts, as over the past decade China has emerged as the world’s leading trader in illegally logged timber. During the last decade, the major timber consumers of the United States, European Union and Australia have taken action to exclude illicit timber from their markets. Timber producing countries such as Indonesia have improved enforcement against illegal logging. Meanwhile, China has largely stood on the sidelines. The astounding economic growth of China attracts a host of superlatives; its position as the largest importer of stolen wood is one of the more undesirable ones. Since the late 1990s the country has taken strong measures to protect and grow its own forests. At the same time it has built a vast wood processing industry, reliant on imports for most of its raw materials supply. It is in effect exporting deforestation. Although much of the wood processing sector is export-oriented, the vast construction effort in China, coupled with increasing wealth, is creating a surge in domestic demand for timber products. A vivid example is the fashion for reproduction furniture made from rare rosewoods, which has created an upsurge in illegal logging from the Mekong region to Madagascar. The Environmental Investigation Agency has been conducting field investigations into flows of illicit timber since 2004, covering a host of producer countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar, Russia, Laos, Mozambique and Madagascar and, of course, China itself. The findings from these investigations, laid out in this report, show the impact of illegal logging to feed China’s market; destruction of vital forest ecosystems, loss of revenue for developing countries, increased corruption and conflict. This report also includes analysis of trade data showing flows of illicit timber into China worth billions of dollars a year, and highlights imports from countries known to have high rates of illegal logging and instances where national regulations such as log export bands are disregarded. The evidence makes a clear case for action by China. It needs to take measures to exclude illegally logged timber from its market. The fate of many of the world’s natural forests depends on this. Details: London: EIA, 2012. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 28, 2013 at: http://www.eia-international.org/wp-content/uploads/EIA-Appetite-for-Destruction-lo-res.pdf Year: 2012 Country: China URL: http://www.eia-international.org/wp-content/uploads/EIA-Appetite-for-Destruction-lo-res.pdf Shelf Number: 128157 Keywords: DeforestationForest ManagementIllegal Logging (China)Illegal TradeNatural Resources |
Author: Environmental Investigation Agency Title: Testing the Law: Carbon, Crime and Impunity in Indonesia’s Plantation Sector Summary: Systemic law enforcement failings threaten to make a mockery of Indonesia’s pledge to reduce deforestation and carbon emissions by enabling plantation companies to destroy carbon-rich peatlands with impunity, a report released today reveals. Testing the Law, jointly produced by the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Indonesian NGO Telapak, highlights how a well-connected oil palm firm has been allowed to continue operating in Central Kalimantan in clear breach of the law for almost five years. Evidence gathered by EIA/Telapak shows that Government officials have been aware of the activities of PT Suryamas Cipta Perkasa (PT SCP) for years and, despite statements to the contrary, have failed to take action. The crimes committed by PT SCP, part of the BEST Group, have led directly to the destruction of the habitat of hundreds of endangered orangutans and local livelihoods, generating millions of tonnes of carbon emissions in the process. In March this year, EIA/Telapak submitted a dossier of evidence to a range of authorities in Indonesia, detailing how PT SCP had broken numerous laws governing land allocation, access to resources and environmental management. The dossier provided the authorities with sufficient evidence to prompt a criminal investigation into the illegal conversion of more than 23,000 hectares of peatland and peat swamp forest, while giving notice to the Government that its response would be made public. Although the Government has openly admitted the concession is illegal, today the illicit proceeds of the crime continue to flow. Meetings between EIA/Telapak and the authorities have raised serious concerns over the likelihood of any prosecution. Details: London: EIA, 2012. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 9, 2013 at: http://www.eia-international.org/wp-content/uploads/Testing-the-Law-final-version.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Indonesia URL: http://www.eia-international.org/wp-content/uploads/Testing-the-Law-final-version.pdf Shelf Number: 128335 Keywords: Corporate CrimesDeforestationEnvironmental CrimesIllegal Logging (Indonesia)Offenses Against the Environment |
Author: Accra Caucus on Forests and Climate Change Title: Realising Rights, Protecting Forests: An Alternative Vision for Reducing Deforestation Summary: The Accra Caucus on Forests and Climate Change is a network of southern and northern NGOs representing around 100 civil society and Indigenous Peoples' organizations from 38 countries, formed at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting in Accra, Ghana in 2008. The Caucus works to place the rights of indigenous and forest communities at the centre of negotiations on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD), and to ensure that efforts to reduce deforestation promote good governance and are not a substitute for emission reductions in industrialised countries. In this report the Caucus proposes an alternative vision for achieving the objective of reducing deforestation, arguing for policies and actions that would tackle the drivers of deforestation, rather than focusing exclusively on carbon. Drawing on case studies from organisations with experience of working with forest communities, the report highlights problems linked to the implementation of REDD and suggests ways in which policies to reduce deforestation can actually work on the ground. Through case studies from selected countries the report highlights three critical components: full and effective participation (Indonesia, Ecuador, Democratic Republic of Congo); secured and equitable land rights (Brazil, Cameroon, Papua New Guinea) and community-based forest management (Tanzania, Nepal). Details: London: Rainforest Foundation UK, 2010. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 25, 2013 at: http://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/Accra_Report_ENG Year: 2010 Country: International URL: http://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/Accra_Report_ENG Shelf Number: 128501 Keywords: ConservationDeforestationForest ManagementIllegal LoggingNatural Resources |
Author: Greenpeace Title: Licence to Launder: How Herakles Farms' Illegal Timber Trade Threatens Cameroon's Forests and VPA Summary: The oil palm plantation being developed by Herakles Farms in the southwest region of Cameroon - an area of great biodiversity surrounded by five protected areas - illustrates what happens when irresponsible companies are not held accountable to local laws and processes. The companies activities pose a serious threat to forested areas and the communities who rely upon the forest for their livelihoods. Herakles Farms was originally trying to acquire more than 70,000 hectares of forested land in the region in 2009. Its local subsidiary, SG Sustainable Oils Cameroon (SGSOC), began clearing forest despite the fact the project did not have a land lease signed by the president as required by Cameroon law. Greenpeace and other local and international NGOs have continued to exposed Herakles Farms' illegal operations and the threats its irresponsible project poses to local livelihoods, environment and global climate. In this report, Greenpeace reveals how the company is now colluding with the Cameroonian government to commercialise the timber - much of which was illegally felled - from its project, despite previously categorically stating that it had no intention to do so. This new development demonstrates the persistent illegalities at the heart of the Herakles Farms project, indicative of a wider problem in many land deals and the logging sector in Africa. If allowed to persist, it will also seriously undermine Cameroon's Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU to stop illegal logging. Finally, it sends the message that, if companies are allowed to behave as they wish, contravening national laws and ignoring the rights of local communities, then the forests and people of Africa will have no protection. Details: Amsterdam: Greenpeace, 2014. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 14, 2014 at: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/publications/forests/2014/Licence-to-Launder.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Cameroon URL: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/publications/forests/2014/Licence-to-Launder.pdf Shelf Number: 129600 Keywords: DeforestationForestsIllegal LoggingIllegal TradeOffenses Against the Environment |
Author: World Growth Title: Cutting Down the Poor: How UK and EU aid is killing jobs in developing countries, wasting EU taxpayer funds and breaking international trade rules Summary: The government of the United Kingdom and the European Union have introduced measures against illegal logging with their trading partners that are currently costing approximately L22.4 million annually. By the EU-s own estimates these measures are likely to be ineffective and will: - cause job losses among the rural poor in developing countries, - have little impact on illegal logging; - have virtually no impact on deforestation, if any. The measures are also likely to put the EU in breach of international trade laws. Timber exporters to the EU should consider trade retaliation. EU taxpayers should demand an inquiry. Illegal logging first emerged as a campaign issue in 1998. The illegal timber trade was linked to global concerns over deforestation. Action against illegal logging in developing countries was supported by Western industries that were facing increased competition from timber and paper producers, particularly in China. It was also supported by environmental campaign groups that made unsubstantiated claims about the levels of illegal logging taking place globally. However, there has been very little ground-based research on levels of illegal logging in many countries. Details: Arlington, VA: World Growth, 2013. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 4, 2015 at: http://worldgrowth.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/WG_FLEGT_2013_revision_formatted.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Indonesia URL: http://worldgrowth.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/WG_FLEGT_2013_revision_formatted.pdf Shelf Number: 135507 Keywords: DeforestationForestsIllegal LoggingOffenses Against the Environment |
Author: Smit, Hans Title: Implementing Deforestation-Free Supply Chains - Certification and Beyond Summary: Deforestation and forest degradation result in biodiversity losses and are major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In an effort to delink agricultural production from deforestation, a growing number of companies and national governments are making public commitments to purchasing products which do not cause deforestation. SNV's REDD+ Energy and Agriculture Programme (REAP) published a report examining the role of agricultural certification standards in effectively halting forest conversion and explores some of the key ingredients which need to be in place in order to establish deforestation-free supply chains. Based on the findings, a toolkit is provided which can help to address identified challenges. The package consists of three components: a traceability and monitoring system, our Inclusive Business approach and the SNV Siting Tool. The toolkit is designed to assist companies and governments in going beyond certification standards in order to bring about the systemic changes needed to delink agricultural production from deforestation and forest degradation at a landscape level. Details: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: SNV REDD+ Energy and Agriculture Programme, 2015. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 23, 2015 at: http://www.snvworld.org/en/redd/publications/implementing-deforestation-free-supply-chains-certification-and-beyond Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://www.snvworld.org/en/redd/publications/implementing-deforestation-free-supply-chains-certification-and-beyond Shelf Number: 135776 Keywords: DeforestationForestsNatural ResourcesOffenses Against the EnvironmentSupply Chains |
Author: Marijnissen, Chantal Title: Facing Reality: How to halt the import of illegal timber in the EU Summary: By mid-2004, the European Commission is due to report back to the Council of the European Union with its proposals for implementing the EU Action Plan on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) that it released in May 2003. FERN, Greenpeace and WWF welcome the Plan and aim, with this report, to provide further recommendations to EU policy makers that will assist their efforts to ensure its successful implementation. Given the stage of development of the FLEGT Action Plan, this report will focus primarily on criminal aspects of the timber industry. However, it is important to remember that much legal logging is also highly destructive - and that ultimately it is the issue of forest sustainability that needs to be addressed. As the environmental NGO community has repeatedly shown, the impacts of illegal logging on wildlife and human welfare are devastating. Illegal logging contributes to deforestation and loss of biodiversity; fuels civil wars and threatens international security through bribery, organised crime and human rights abuses; cuts tax revenue of producer countries; destabilises international markets and undermines both legitimate business and responsible forest management. As a major buyer and importer of illegal forest products, and with European timber companies heavily implicated in this trade, the European Union has the duty as well as the power to curtail criminal activities linked to it. We believe that, to be successful, the FLEGT process cannot be restricted to voluntary mechanisms. Illegal logging has reached an unprecedented high level, proving that voluntary measures, together with industry self-regulation, have been insufficient to stop illegal logging. Therefore, although we welcome the planned EU regulation for a voluntary licensing scheme and the development of voluntary partnership agreements, we believe that the EU must develop a regulation to outlaw the import of illegally sourced timber and forest products. This regulation must be implemented at the same time as the regulation for the voluntary licensing scheme and should allow EU enforcement officials to seize illegally sourced forest products and to prosecute those that trade in them. We also ask the European Union to build political support within producer countries for the voluntary partnership agreements proposed by the FLEGT Action Plan. The negotiations of these agreements should bring together all stakeholders in producer and consumer countries in developing solutions and promoting responsible forest management. Details: Brussels: FERN, 2004. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 19, 2015 at: http://www.fern.org/sites/fern.org/files/pubs/reports/facing_reality.pdf Year: 2004 Country: Europe URL: http://www.fern.org/sites/fern.org/files/pubs/reports/facing_reality.pdf Shelf Number: 136456 Keywords: DeforestationForest ManagementForestsIllegal LoggingIllegal ProductsOffences Against the Environment |
Author: Global Witness Title: Deforestation without limits: How the Cambodian government failed to tackle the untouchables Summary: A review of law enforcement in the forestry sector in Cambodia. The report examines evidence of illegal logging that Global Witness has submitted to the Royal Government of Cambodia as part of the Forest Crimes Monitoring and Reporting Project and reviews the action and inaction of the government in each of the cases. Details: London: Global Witness, 2002. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 4, 2016 at: https://www.globalwitness.org/en/archive/deforestation-without-limits/ Year: 2002 Country: Cambodia URL: https://www.globalwitness.org/en/archive/deforestation-without-limits/ Shelf Number: 138919 Keywords: DeforestationForests Illegal Logging |
Author: Global Witness Title: Blood Timber: How Europe Held Fund War in the Central African Republic Summary: In 2013, the Central African Republic was plunged into a conflict that has cost over 5,000 lives and displaced more than a million people. When the insurgent group Seleka seized power in a bloody coup d'etat, Seleka rebels were dispatched to the country's rainforests. Here they struck lucrative deals with logging companies that helped bankroll a fierce campaign of violence against the country's population. Our new investigation, Blood Timber, reveals how these logging companies have paid millions of euros into the hands of rebels guilty of mass murder, kidnappings, rapes and the forced recruitment of child soldiers. Global Witness is calling on the EU and its member states to cut all trade and aid links to CAR's logging industry, which continues to be a source of instability as the African country struggles to restore peace. Europe is complicit on three counts: - Trade: European companies are trading with CAR logging companies, which in 2013 alone paid over 3.4 million euros to rebels so that they could continue logging illegally, at scale and for significant profit. - Illegal imports: Europe is the premier destination for CAR wood, meaning EU member states are failing in their legal obligations to keep illicit timber off European markets. - Donor aid: France has paid millions of euros in development aid to CAR's logging companies, based on the flawed assumption that CAR's logging industry contributes to local development. The EU is also pursuing a timber trade agreement with CAR that further benefits its logging industry. The logging companies under investigation - IFB from France, SEFCA from Lebanon, and Vicwood from China - preside over an area of CAR rainforest over two hundred times the size of Paris, and together account for 99% of timber exports from the country. Global Witness investigations found that all three made frequent payments to Seleka rebels - as bribes, to pass roadblocks, for armed escort, and for the protection of their logging sites, including a single transaction of nearly 381,000 euros by SEFCA to the new Seleka government right after the coup. Details: London: Global Witness, 2015. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 5, 2016 at: https://www.greenpeace.de/sites/www.greenpeace.de/files/publications/blood-timber-global-witness-20150715.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Central African Republic URL: https://www.greenpeace.de/sites/www.greenpeace.de/files/publications/blood-timber-global-witness-20150715.pdf Shelf Number: 138951 Keywords: DeforestationIllegal LoggingOffenses Against the Environment |
Author: World Wildlife Fund Title: Illegal Logging and its Impact in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve Summary: 1. Illegal logging is the main conservation problem in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. This report presents the direct and indirect evidence of illegal logging from 2001 to the beginning of 2004. 2. The report is based on the following evidence: (i) a change analysis of the forest cover in the central core zone (that has a total of 9,671 ha) of the Reserve through aerial photographs obtained in 2001 and 2003, (ii) field samplings of 12 properties in 2003, and (iii) the deforestation analysis in two areas of the buffer zone from 2001 to 2003. The report also discusses: sites where the impact of logging was especially evident in the buffer zone; data obtained during 21 aerial flights in 2003 and 2004; and 42 letters and complaints made primarily by the agrarian communities requesting support from the authorities to solve the issue of illegal logging. Additionally, reference is made to 23 inspections carried out by the Michoacan Delegation of the Federal Attorney General's Officer for Environment Protection (PROFEPA), between 2002 to 2004 in five properties; the construction of 43 trenches by the communities to stop illegal logging trucks; and of the location of 61 sawmills documented in the region. 3. The circumstances surrounding the illegal logging in five properties in the state of Michoacan are analyzed in detail: the ejido of Francisco Serrato, the Federal Property, and the indigenous communities of San Francisco Curungueo, Francisco Serrato and Crescencio Morales. 4. The available data on logging in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere shows that between 2001 and 2003 at least 370 hectares have been deforested in the buffer zone (Francisco Serrato and Emiliano Zapata ejidos) and 140 hectares have suffered from serious forest degradation in the core zone. However the number of hectares logged does not reflect the seriousness of the problem. Considering the various types of evidences studied, a total of 28 communities have suffered from illegal logging during the last three years. Twenty three of these communities are located in the core zone (an area where logging is prohibited according to the 2000 Presidential Decree) and the remaining five communities are located on the buffer zone). On the other hand, it is not necessary to loose all the trees to affect the overwintering sites of the Monarch butterfly, since the removal of only a few trees may substantially alter the microclimatic conditions required for their survival. 5. The case studies presented here show local efforts to combat the illegal logging, including the letters of complaint sent to the to the authorities and obstructions created to stop the trucks of the illegal loggers. Communities have repeatedly requested the permanent presence of the army to fight this problem which affects their forests. 6. Despite this, the response from the authorities has been sporadic and not of the necessary magnitude to stop this environmental crime. The law enforcement operations carried out by the authorities in April and May 2004 were important, however, these operations must be permanent in order to ensure the effective protection of the protected area. 7. Recommendations to stop the illegal logging include : (i) permanent presence of the army (as requested by the leaders of the agrarian communities), (ii) the obstruction of entrances to the core zone of the protected area to block the access of the illegal loggers, (iii) the periodical inspections of the Reserve and sawmills of the region, and (iv) the implementation of immediate communication mechanisms, so that the communities may inform the authorities of logging activities effectively . Details: Washington, DC: World Wildlife Fund, 2004. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 1, 2016 at: http://www.eco-index.org/search/pdfs/363report_3.pdf Year: 2004 Country: Mexico URL: http://www.eco-index.org/search/pdfs/363report_3.pdf Shelf Number: 139542 Keywords: DeforestationForestsIllegal Logging |
Author: Dibley, Arjuna Title: The Hidden Driver of Deforestation: Why Effecting Reform of Indonesia's Legal Framework is Critical to the Long-term Success of REDD+ Summary: In 2015, the state parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreed a mechanism that could be deployed by developing country governments to create economic, social and environmental incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through avoiding deforestation and forest degradation, called REDD+. Countries around the globe have commenced the process of implementing REDD+, including Indonesia. Indonesia introduced a dedicated REDD+ Agency, regulations on the topic, and made policy progress in key areas of REDD+. The legal and policy framework supporting REDD+ is, however, in a state of flux, after the legal and bureaucratic infrastructure put in place to support it was recalibrated following the election of President Joko Widodo in 2014. Given this uncertainty, this paper assess Indonesia's existing legal framework for REDD+ and outlines some legal strategies that could be implemented to revive the REDD+ policy process in Indonesia. Details: Melbourne: Centre for Indonesian law, Islam and Society, 2016. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: CILIS Policy Paper no. 11: Accessed July 23, 2016 at: http://law.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/1962167/CILIS-Policy-Paper-No-11-Dibley_Khatarina.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Indonesia URL: http://law.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/1962167/CILIS-Policy-Paper-No-11-Dibley_Khatarina.pdf Shelf Number: 139815 Keywords: DeforestationEnvironmental CrimeForestsOffenses Against the Environment |
Author: Forest Trends Title: European Trade Flows and Risk Summary: Illegal logging, as defined in the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), is the harvesting of timber in contravention of the laws and regulations of the country of harvest. Illegal logging is a global epidemic with significant negative economic, environmental and social impacts. Recent studies indicate that illegal logging accounts for 50-90 percent of the volume of all timber production in key producer tropical countries in the Amazon Basin, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia, and 15-30 per cent globally. In economic terms illegal logging results in lost revenues from taxes and other duties that could be used by producer countries for sustainable development purposes and other benefits. In environmental terms illegal logging is associated with deforestation, water pollution, spread of disease, climate change and a loss of biodiversity due to habitat destruction. In social terms illegal logging can be linked to conflicts over land and other resources, the disempowerment of local and indigenous communities, the loss of lives and livelihoods, human rights violations, corruption, and armed conflicts. Illegal logging also undermines international security, supports organized crime and money laundering activities, and leads to unfair competition in the marketplace that negatively impacts the sincere efforts of responsible operators in Europe and other regions of the world to comply with the law. Details: Washington, DC: Forest Friends, 2013. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 17, 2016 at: http://forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_4085.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Europe URL: http://forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_4085.pdf Shelf Number: 140329 Keywords: DeforestationForestsIllegal LoggingMoney LaunderingNatural ResourcesOffenses Against the EnvironmentOrganized Crime |
Author: Friends of the Earth Netherlands Title: Cana Bois: plundering protected areas in Cameroon for the European market Summary: The logging company Cana Bois has been plundering protected forest areas in Cameroon for the European timber market. This case has been researched and published in a 'log file' by Friends of the Earth Netherlands and France in June 2009. First some general information. The EU still accounts for 16 - 19% of global illegal timber imports. Illegal logging is one of the main causes of deforestation and forest degradation worldwide. Cameroon is no exception to this rule. Both the Cameronese government and European markets have taken first steps to prevent illegal logging and related trade. Within the framework of the EU FLEGT action plan, a voluntary partnership agreement is under way as well as legislation to prevent illegal timber trade. EU Member states and Cameroon have taken efforts to promote voluntary certification for sustainable forest management. However, progress is slow and illegal and destructive logging is still rife in many timber producing countries around the world. This logfile shows how unscrupulous companies continue to plunder protected areas in Cameroon for the European market with total impunity. This report describes the observations from Friends of the Earth research missions in the forest management unit of Cana Bois, nearly 34.000 hectares large and located in the Central Province of Cameroon. In the North, this forest management unit is bordered by another logging area and in the south and east by a forest reserve. In 2007, Cana Bois was given permission to log a strictly defined area of 2500 hectares within the forest management unit. During our missions we held interviews with the local population and ventured inside the forest management units and neighbouring forest reserve to record infractions. It appeared that Cana Bois had been logging outside its strictly defined area into the areas destined for next year's logging activities and outside the official boundaries deep into the forest reserve. We estimate that logging roads and paths in the forest reserve have a distance of over 150 kilometers. Cana Bois deliberately crossed a river to enter the forest reserve. Along the logging roads we found numerous abandoned logs, stumps and log parks. The timber from these illegal logging operations has been sold with the official marks from the forest management unit. This legalisation to facilitate transport and export is done by local forest control posts with hammer marks, even though they know that the timber is not coming from the forest management unit. The local population has sent a letter to the Independent Observer, Resource Extraction Monitoring, in Cameroon, asking for help and requesting a mission to establish the total impact of the infractions. This mission was prevented time after time by Cameronese government officials. Unhampered, Cana Bois has started logging operations again in 2009, showing that illegality continues to be profitable in the Cameronese logging sector. These illegal logging practices have severe impacts on the forest reserve. Amongst others, they result in forest degradation, loss of economic value of the forest, because commercially interesting species have been harvested, and they have negative impacts on the livelihoods of local people. The plundered forest is part of the Atlantic Equatorial Coastal Forests ecoregion which has exceptionally high levels of species richness and endemism. Alarmingly, Friends of the Earth has found numerous traces of poaching in the forest reserve. The roads opened up for logging make it easier for poachers and vehicles to get the meat out to nearby markets. In the harbour in Doula Friends of the Earth found piles of sawn wood from Cana Bois with destination Spain, the Netherlands and France. Cana Bois has been looting the Cameronese forests for the European market. Several companies in Cameroon have chosen the path of sustainable forest management and have invested in certification. Their business is being undermined by unscrupulous companies like Cana Bois. This flagrant case of illegal logging and related trade shows that European member states and the EU have a huge responsibility to combat illegal logging and related trade. Friends of the Earth therefore calls upon the EU ministers to step up the pace and decide on a strengthened legislative proposal to stop illegal timber trade during the Agriculture Council in June 2009. It is extremely important for the effectivity of the legislation that trade in illegal timber becomes an offence, that the scope of the applicable legislation is broadened, all timber products are included and the due diligence obligations extended to all operators placing timber and timber products on the EU market. Only with effective and strong legislation to combat illegal timber trade will the EU reduce its social and environmental footprint and will companies like Cana Bois lose their profitable illegal business. Details: Amsterdam: Friends of the Earth, 2009. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 17, 2016 at: https://milieudefensie.nl/publicaties/rapporten/cana-bois-plundering-protected-areas-in-cameroon-for-the-european-market Year: 2009 Country: Cameroon URL: https://milieudefensie.nl/publicaties/rapporten/cana-bois-plundering-protected-areas-in-cameroon-for-the-european-market Shelf Number: 147946 Keywords: DeforestationEnvironmental CrimesForestsIllegal LoggingNatural ResourceOffenses Against the Environment |
Author: Forest Trends Title: Combating Illegal Logging in Asia: A Review of Progress and the Role of the Asia Forest Partnership 2002-2012 Summary: Forests in Asia play a critical role in providing a variety of services that millions of people depend upon for their livelihoods and social stability. They also contain most of the Asia-Pacific region's terrestrial biodiversity. By the turn of the Millennium, the forests of the region, particularly in the tropics, were acknowledged to be in crisis. Deforestation and forest degradation were rising to unprecedented rates, often as a direct result of illegal activities. There was also a dawning recognition that illegal logging was not only an environment threat, but was also contributing to conflict, corruption, and disrespect for the rule of law. It was against this backdrop that the Asia Forest Partnership (AFP) was established in 2002 at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). AFP was established as a multi-stakeholder alliance to promote sustainable management of forests in the Asia-Pacific region. In practice, AFP's greatest strength turned out to be promoting dialogue and cooperation to combat illegal logging, and that is the topic upon which the Partnership largely focused. A decade of regional dialogues and other activities followed, drawing in thousands of participants, catalyzing countless partnerships on the ground, and making a significant contribution to changing the nature of dialogue and action on illegal logging. When AFP first began, governments, logging companies and environmental activists rarely sat down at one table for frank discussions on the illegal logging problem. Today, such dialogue is the norm and is a regular feature of meetings of hitherto government-only bodies such as the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC), and the FAO Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission. Ten years ago, illegal logging was often characterized as a domestic law enforcement problem that was the responsibility of those countries to deal with, while those countries, companies, and consumers who processed timber and ultimately bought forest products, looked the other way with respect to the legality of the raw material. Today, consumer markets like the United States, the European Union, and Australia all have timber legality legislation in place, Indonesia has implemented its own Timber Legality Assurance System, and countries with major timber-processing and export industries, such as China and Vietnam, are working to put their own legality verification systems in place. At AFP's outset, environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were very active in alerting the world to the extent and impacts of illegal logging, but had not found productive ways to engage with timber companies to change their management and trade practices. During the course of the ensuing decade, NGO-backed programs like the Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN), the Responsible Asia Forestry and Trade initiative (RAFT), and the Forest Legality Alliance (FLA) have developed extensive cooperative programs with timber producers, processors, and consumers and have also played an important role in devising and disseminating practical tools to encourage legal trade in forest products. AFP cannot, of course, take sole credit for these considerable positive achievements of the past decade. AFP has, however, played an important and catalytic role. Perhaps most importantly, the multi-stakeholder approach to illegal logging that AFP pioneered has now become the "new normal" in addressing illegal logging throughout the region. This multi-stakeholder approach is now accepted and institutionalized in formal intergovernmental organizations like APEC and ITTO, trade arrangements like the EU Voluntary Partnership Agreements, and in various best practice codes of conduct adopted by the private sector. As the AFP now draws to a close, those that helped establish it and those who have been active members of the partnership have much to be proud of. The AFP set a standard from which other initiatives and partnerships can learn in the future. Details: Washington, DC: Forest Trends, 2013. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 17, 2016 at: http://www.forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_3529.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Asia URL: http://www.forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_3529.pdf Shelf Number: 140341 Keywords: DeforestationEnvironmental Crimes Forests Illegal Logging Natural Resource Offenses Against the Environment |
Author: Hewitt, Daphne Title: Identifying Illegality in Timber from Forest Conversion: A Review of Legality Definitions Summary: FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) aim to verify and license legal timber for export to the EU in order to create a 'market access' incentive for legal operators and countries that wish to improve forest law enforcement and governance standards. Licensing is based on a Legality Assurance System (LAS), which is underpinned by a national Legality Definition. Beginning a credible domestic stakeholder process to identify appropriate laws and detailed verifiers for compliance are necessary pre-requisites to formal bilateral negotiations with the EU. VPAs were primarily conceived of with selective logging in production forests in mind, but recent data suggests that conversion timber (timber produced when land is cleared for other uses) is increasingly important in tropical production, and in some countries may represent a significant majority of wood production. In addition, agricultural conversion is now acknowledged as the most significant cause of deforestation and is closely associated with land/tenure conflicts with local communities. Assessing the legality of conversion timber requires that compliance with both the process of permit allocation and all relevant management requirements be examined. On this basis, in the countries reviewed in detail by Forest Trends, a significant majority of the conversion timber produced appears to be illegal. This paper therefore reviews the Legality Definitions of the six counties engaged in VPA implementation, with a view to determining the potential that they offer for identifying illegality in wood sourced from conversion of forest to non-forest uses. Details: Washington, DC: Forest Trends, 2013. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 17, 2016 at: http://www.forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_4150.pdf Year: 2013 Country: International URL: http://www.forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_4150.pdf Shelf Number: 140342 Keywords: DeforestationEnvironmental Crimes Forests Illegal Logging Natural Resource Offenses Against the Environment |
Author: Brack, Duncan Title: Ending Global Deforestation: Policy Options for Consumer Countries Summary: Over the last decade, governments in timber-producing and timber-consuming countries have implemented a range of policies and measures aimed at improving forest governance and reducing illegal logging. One important category of measures has been attempts to exclude illegal (and sometimes unsustainable) timber products from international trade through the use of regulatory measures such as public procurement policy, licensing systems, and legal and company due diligence requirements. Yet illegal logging and the international trade in illegal timber is not the most important cause of deforestation. Clearance of forests (legal or illegal) for agriculture, often for export, is far more significant. The purpose of this report is to examine the potential applicability of the consumer-country measures used to exclude illegal timber to illegal or unsustainable agricultural products associated with deforestation: specifically, palm oil, soy, beef and leather and cocoa. The study primarily considers options open to the European Union (which is the main global importer of these commodities), but in principle they are open to other consumer-country governments too. Details: London: Chatham House; Washington, DC: Forest Trends, 2013. 89p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 20, 2016 at: https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/public/Research/Energy,%20Environment%20and%20Development/0913pr_deforestation.pdf Year: 2013 Country: International URL: https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/public/Research/Energy,%20Environment%20and%20Development/0913pr_deforestation.pdf Shelf Number: 145605 Keywords: DeforestationForestsIllegal LoggingIllegal ProductsNatural ResourcesOffenses Against the Environment |
Author: Wakker, Eric Title: Indonesia: Illegalities in Forest Clearance for Large-Scale Commercial Plantations Summary: This is the second in a series of case studies examining the nature, scale and extent of illegalities and irregularities in the process of forest clearance for large-scale agricultural estates and ranchlands, and the scale of the trade in commodities grown or reared on land illegally cleared of forests. Each country assessment examines the state of knowledge on the topic, and the recent history of relevant sectoral activity in each country, profiles key companies, outlines the legal and regulatory environment, and summarizes available evidence of illegalities and irregularities. This study focuses on oil palm and pulp and paper plantations, generally seen as the main drivers of deforestation over the past ten to twenty years. The past fifteen years have seen increased global public and political acknowledgement of the environmental, social and economic costs of illegal logging, but this discourse has largely focused on tree harvesting under selective logging forestry and associated timber trade. This study represents a first step towards broadening our understanding of the nature, scale and extent of illegalities and irregularities in deforestation for oil palm and tree plantation expansion in Indonesia. Details: Washington, DC: Forest Trends, 2014. 63p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 20, 2016 at: http://www.forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_4528.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Indonesia URL: http://www.forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_4528.pdf Shelf Number: 145606 Keywords: DeforestationForestsIllegal LoggingOffenses Against the Environment |
Author: Barney, Keith Title: Baseline Study 2, Lao PDR: Overview of Forest Governance, Markets and Trade Summary: Over the past decade in Lao PDR, new regulations and policies related to logging and timber exports have aimed to conserve existing natural forests and promote a shift towards participatory, sustainable forest management. Still, the main challenge will be to implement these reforms effectively. In addition, over the past five to six years, considerable foreign direct investment has moved into Laos' forest-land sector, in the form of agribusiness plantations and infrastructure development. While a welcome development from a financial perspective, this situation has promoted natural forest conversion and is challenged by a number of regulatory uncertainties. This report finds that: 1) timber sales account for roughly 12% of overall government revenue; 2) Laos' forest product export markets are dominated by Vietnam and Thailand, and Laos' main export markets in turn are significant re-exporters of manufactured forest products, to markets which increasingly require legal verification such as the USA and the European Union; 3) community land tenure and forest zoning processes need to be clarified and implemented adequately in order to safeguard local livelihoods and environmental services. Details: Washington, DC: Forest Trends, 2011. 66p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 21, 2016 at: http://forestindustries.eu/sites/default/files/userfiles/1file/baseline_study_laos_report_en.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Laos URL: http://forestindustries.eu/sites/default/files/userfiles/1file/baseline_study_laos_report_en.pdf Shelf Number: 145615 Keywords: Deforestation Environmental Crimes Forests Illegal Logging Natural Resource Offenses Against the Environment |
Author: Forest Trends Title: Logging, Legality, and Livelihoods in Papua New Guinea: Sythesis of Official Assessments of the Large-Scale Logging Industry Volume II Summary: Between 2000 and 2005, the Papua New Guinea government commissioned five separate reviews of the administration and practice of the logging industry: - Review of Forest Harvesting Projects Being Developed Towards a Timber Permit of Timber Authority (2000-01); - Review of the Forest Revenue System (2001-02); - Independent Review of Disputed Timber Permits and Permit Extensions (2003); - Review of Current Logging Projects (2004-05); and - Compliance Audits (2004-05) In addition, a sixth report from an Ombudsman Commission investigation into the allocation of one concession (Kamula Doso) was published in July 2002. The five Reviews were conducted under Terms of Reference agreed between the Government of Papua New Guinea and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the 'World Bank'), by teams of experts that included lawyers, foresters, economists and environmental and social scientists. The review teams were given unique access to official records, logging sites and company documents and were able to conduct wide-ranging interviews with industry participants, landowners and government officials. The findings of the five government-initiated Reviews were presented in sixty-three individual reports that together provide a unique assessment of Papua New Guineas forest administration system and the sustainability of current and future large-scale logging operations. They provide a thorough examination of the whole timber harvesting process from initial project development through permit allocation to the actual logging operations and their long term impacts. The Reviews considered a range of different criteria for assessing the status of timber harvesting operations and analyzed their impact from the perspective of all the key stakeholders. Of the five Reviews, only some of the reports were made publicly available through the PNG Prime Minister's website. Copies of the other documents produced were circulated amongst government departments, industry and civil society organizations in PNG and subsequently distributed internationally. The Ombudsman Commission report was tabled in Parliament and can be viewed in the Parliamentary library In this Report (Volume II), we bring together all the reports from the five Reviews and the Ombudsman Commission investigation and present a complete summary of their findings. Maps and imagery in this publication were sourced from the UPNG Remote Sensing Centre via www.rsc.upng.ac.pg (and were not part of the Review Reports). Updates on any follow-up actions on the recommendations in the Review Reports have been added based on publicly available information as of January 31, 2006 (and were not part of the Review Reports). Details: Washington, DC: Forest Trends, 2006. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 22, 2016 at: http://www.forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_161.pdf Year: 2006 Country: Papua New Guinea URL: http://www.forest-trends.org/documents/files/doc_161.pdf Shelf Number: 146045 Keywords: DeforestationForest Management Forests Illegal Logging Offenses Against the Environment |
Author: Greenpeace Title: How Unilever Palm Oil Suppliers Are Burning Up Borneo Summary: In November 2007, Greenpeace released 'Cooking the Climate', an 82-page report summarising the findings of a two-year investigation that revealed how the world's largest food, cosmetic and biofuel companies were driving the wholesale destruction of Indonesia's rainforests and peatlands through growing palm oil consumption.This follow-up report provides further evidence of the expansion of the palm oil sector in Indonesia into remaining rainforests, orangutan habitat and peatlands in Kalimantan. It links the majority of the largest producers in Indonesia to Unilever, probably the largest palm oil corporate consumer in the world. Details: Amsterdam: Greenpeace, 2008. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 23, 2016 at: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/planet-2/report/2009/10/how-unilever-palm-oil-supplier.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Asia URL: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/planet-2/report/2009/10/how-unilever-palm-oil-supplier.pdf Shelf Number: 146050 Keywords: DeforestationForestsOffenses Against the EnvironmentPalm Oil |
Author: Assuncao, Juliano Title: DETERring Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon: Environmental Monitoring and Law Enforcement Summary: The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest. In Brazil, the forest originally occupied over four million km2 an area equivalent to almost half of continental Europe. Amazon deforestation rates escalated in the early 2000s, peaking at over 27,000 km2 in 2004, but fell sharply to about 5,000 km2 in 2011 (INPE [2012]). Empirical evidence presented in a previous CPI/PUC-Rio study suggests that changes in Brazilian conservation policies helped address the challenge of protecting this immense area and significantly contributed to the recent deforestation slowdown. In this study, we take a step further and answer the question: Which specific policy efforts contributed most to the reduction in Amazon deforestation? Our analysis reveals that the implementation of the Real Time System for Detection of Deforestation (DETER), a satellite-based system that enables frequent and quick identification of deforestation hot spots, greatly enhanced monitoring and targeting capacity, making it easier for law enforcers to act upon areas with illegal deforestation activity. This improvement in monitoring and law enforcement was the main driver of the 2000s deforestation slowdown. We estimate that DETER-based environmental monitoring and law enforcement policies prevented the clearing of over 59,500 km2 of Amazon forest area from 2007 through 2011. Deforestation observed during this period totaled 41,500 km2 59% less than in the absence of the policy change. We also find that the policy change had no impact on agricultural production. Details: s.l.: Climate Policy Initiative, 2013. 36p; executive summary. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 13, 2016 at: https://climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/deterring-deforestation-in-the-brazilian-amazon-environmental-monitoring-and-law-enforcement/ Year: 2013 Country: Brazil URL: https://climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/deterring-deforestation-in-the-brazilian-amazon-environmental-monitoring-and-law-enforcement/ Shelf Number: 144911 Keywords: ConservationDeforestationEnvironmental Law EnforcementForestsIllegal LoggingOffenses Against the Environment |
Author: Satyal, Poshendra Title: Assessing Civil Society Participation in REDD+ and FLEGT: Case Study Analysis of Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia and the Republic of Congo Summary: he report presents findings from an assessment study on the quality of participation of civil society actors in REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) and FLEGT VPA (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade – Voluntary Partnership Agreement) processes in four countries in Africa: Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia and the Republic of Congo. The study was part of an EU funded project, coordinated by Fern on "Tackling Deforestation through Linking FLEGT and REDD+" for which the quality of participation in REDD+ and FLEGT was outlined as an indicator to assess one of the project’s objectives (i.e. key REDD+ safeguards are respected in practice). The focus of the assessment study on civil society participation is at national policy making level in FLEGT and REDD+ processes. Building on key literature on participation and research on civil society participation in REDD+ and FLEGT, a questionnaire tool was developed and applied in practical case studies in the four countries. The analysis is drawn from the interviews based on the questionnaire tool; some in-depth interviews and secondary research in these countries. Details: Norwich, UK: The School of International Development, 2017. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: DEV Reports and Policy Papers: Accessed January 25, 2017 at: http://pfbc-cbfp.org/news_en/items/Report-FLEGT.html Year: 2017 Country: Africa URL: http://pfbc-cbfp.org/news_en/items/Report-FLEGT.html Shelf Number: 145572 Keywords: DeforestationForest Law EnforcementForest ManagementForestsIllegal LoggingNatural Resources |
Author: Korwin, Sebastian Title: REDD+ and Corruption Risks for Africa's Forests: Case Studies from Cameroon, Ghana, Zambia and Zimbabwe Summary: The link between corruption and deforestation and forest degradation has been almost universally recognised. Today, corruption continues to threaten new climate initiatives like Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). This report provides the summarised findings of corruption risk assessments (CRAs) in four African countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In each CRA, stakeholders, who include representatives from governments, academia, the judiciary, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), the media, international organisations and private sector, were selected to participate based on their experience in the forest sector. Details: Berlin: Transparency International, 2016. 58p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2017 at: https://www.transparency.org/whatwedo/publication/redd_and_corruption_risks_for_africas_forests_case_studies_from_cameroon_gh Year: 2016 Country: Africa URL: Shelf Number: 141178 Keywords: CorruptionDeforestationEnvironmental CrimesForestsIllegal LoggingOffenses Against the Environment |
Author: Ratsimbazafy, Cynthia Title: Timber Island: The Rosewood and Ebony Trade of Madagascar Summary: Madagascar's precious timber, represented by the genera of Dalbergia (rosewood and palisander) and Diospyros (ebony), are species of hardwood that have become much sought after in the last few decades for the manufacture of musical instruments in Europe and the US and for the manufacture of furniture in Asia. Starting in late 2008 and early 2009, the moist forests, home to the greatest wealth in species of precious timber have been subject to unprecedented high levels of logging, with hundreds of thousands of trees cut down in protected areas despite their protected status. Data collected from documents, stakeholder consultations and field surveys has shown that between March 2010 and March 2015 at least 350 430 timber trees (mainly rosewood) have been cut down annually in protected areas, and at least 1 million logs (152 437 t) have been illegally exported from Madagascar. Various factors serve to explain the anarchy in the management of precious timber, namely: • Inconsistency between authorization and prohibition of regulations concerning logging of precious timber, • Alleged collusion of certain State authorities in the illegal trade, • A deficiency of legislative control of forest operations in general, and those related to precious timber in particular, • Failure to impose punitive penalties on well-‐known traffickers, and • The ineffective implementation of local development plans to manage activities of stakeholders living around the protected areas. In order to limit this unprecedented degradation, the government enacted Decree no. 2010-‐141 of 30 March 2010 prohibiting the cutting, transport and export of precious wood. To reinforce this measure and as a Party to CITES, Madagascar requested the listing of precious timber species in Appendix III in 2011 and then in Appendix II in March 2013. This inclusion specifically concerns round log, sawn timber and veneer sheets. The listing of Madagascar's indigenous precious timber in CITES Appendix II requires that controls be put in place to ensure that trade is not detrimental to the species concerned and that permits are issued for any authorized international trade (export). The application for an export permit must therefore be preceded by the issuing of a non-‐detriment finding (NDF); such a finding should not be issued without having appropriate and adequate information on the status of populations in the wild, quantitative logging data, trade history and associated management systems. Details: Cambridge, UK: TRAFFIC, 2016. 144p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2017 at: http://www.traffic.org/home/2017/2/14/new-study-finds-timber-harvesting-in-madagascar-out-of-contr.html Year: 2016 Country: Madagascar URL: http://www.traffic.org/home/2017/2/14/new-study-finds-timber-harvesting-in-madagascar-out-of-contr.html Shelf Number: 141182 Keywords: Crimes Against the EnvironmentDeforestationEnvironmental CrimesForestsIllegal Logging |
Author: Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) Title: Repeat Offender: Vietnam's Persistent Trade in Illegal Timber Summary: Despite growing global attention to the problem of illegal logging over the past 15 years, Vietnam continues to rely on imports of illicit timber to supply its burgeoning wood processing sector, especially from the neighbouring countries of Laos and Cambodia. Since 2007, EIA has repeatedly documented flows of illegal logs across the land border between Laos and Vietnam, and more recently from Cambodia. Vietnam has made strenuous efforts to increase its own forest cover, including strict controls on the logging of natural forests. In 2016, a total ban on logging natural forests was announced. By 2015, the country's forest cover had increased to 14.7 million hectares (44.6 per cent of total land area), compared with nine million hectares in 1990. At the same time, the Vietnamese Government has promoted the rapid expansion of an export-oriented wood processing sector, which has become the sixth largest in the world. In 2017, the country's exports of wood products are predicted to be worth $8 billion, compared with $7.3 billion in 2016. Vietnam's wood processing industry is heavily reliant on imports for the supply of raw materials, principally round logs and sawn timber. Imports have been growing at about 10 per cent a year, reaching 4.79 million m3 in 2015. While timber imports come from over 100 countries, the biggest source region is Asia, especially Laos and Cambodia. Overall, Vietnam relies of imports for at least 80 per cent of the raw materials consumed by its factories. Analysis of Vietnam's imports by source country indicates that in 2013, 18 per cent were judged to have a high risk of illegality. It is neighbouring countries which have borne the brunt of this illicit trade. Until 2015, Laos - which has a log export ban - was the largest single supplier of timber to Vietnam by value. Due to stronger political will in the country to curb illegal logging, it has now been supplanted by Cambodia, another neighbouring country which bans the export of raw timber. In 2015, Vietnam imported timber worth $386 million from Cambodia, a 52 per cent increase on the previous year, and $360 million from Laos. Combined, the two countries provided Vietnam with illicit timber worth almost three quarters of a billion dollars in a single year. This shift in sourcing has been driven solely by supply-side measures. Rather than improve its regulatory controls over imports of illicit timber, Vietnam has actually introduced measures to ease the flow of timber from Cambodia, once again showing flagrant disregard for the forest laws of its neighbouring countries. Details: London: EIA, 2017. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 21, 2017 at: https://eia-international.org/wp-content/uploads/Repeat-Offender.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Vietnam URL: https://eia-international.org/wp-content/uploads/Repeat-Offender.pdf Shelf Number: 146336 Keywords: Deforestation Environmental Crime Forests Illegal Logging Illegal Trade Offenses Against the Environment |
Author: Smirnov, Denis Title: Assessment of Scope of Illegal Logging in Laos and Associated Trans-Boundary Timber Trade Summary: Main findings - The Government of Laos lacks reliable information on issued logging licenses (quotas), the officially registered volume of timber harvested, and export of wooden products. For example, Lao wood exports to China and Vietnam from 2012-2014 as reported by importing countries exceeded total annual logging quotas many-fold and officially registered volume of timber by an order of magnitude. The total value of Lao wood products as reported by importing countries exceeds the value of exported wood products by analysis of data from Lao state customs statistics many-fold, and a disparity between these two data sets increases further. In 2013 the official export value was only 8% of the total value of Lao timber imported as reported by destination countries. - According to the data from importing countries the export value of Lao wood products has been growing exponentially from the end of 2000s. From 2009 to 2014 it increased more than 8 times (by 70% between 2013 and 2014) and reached US$1.7 billion. In 2014, China and Vietnam were responsible for 96% of Lao wood export in value terms (63 and 33%, respectively). Moreover export to China increased by 140% on 2013 levels. This growth in value of Lao timber exports to China and Vietnam is caused by a simultaneous increase in exported timber volume and increase in the value of exported product units due to the greater proportion of valuable tree species in Lao exports. - The ban on export of logs and sawn timber imposed by the Government of Laos from 1999- 2002 with the aim to encourage development of deep processing of timber in the country is either not enforced or circumvented due to numerous permissions issued in "exceptional cases". The share of unprocessed and sawn wood in total exports from Laos in monetary terms almost always exceeded 90% in a period between 2000 and 2014, hitting 95% in 2011-2013 and nearly 98% in 2014. From the mid-2000s the share of logs in exports has been increasing steadily and reached 56% in 2014 while in 2002 accounted for only 14% (furthermore export value of logs doubled in 2014 compared to 2013). - The comparison of official data on volumes of issued quotas and the officially registered volume of timber harvested in Laos' four southern provinces of Sekong, Saravan, Champassak and Attapeu ("CarBi monitoring area") in the 2011-2012 logging season, with data on export of wood products from this area, has found that >50% of timber products exported were from undocumented sources. In monetary equivalent the value of excessive timber could exceed the Lao budget income from timber sales planned for the 2013-2014 fiscal year threefold. - Not less than 50% (most likely more than 60%) of wood products exported in the 2010-2011 logging season from Sekong were from undocumented sources. - The sheer volume of undocumented timber involved suggests that its extraction and transportation was conducted by large companies who had been permitted to legally assemble and operate a very high number of heavy equipment inside the extraction areas and to and from the country's borders. Such large fleets of heavy equipment are usually only assembled to convert forest lands for plantations, roads, transmission lines, reservoirs, mining, or geologic prospecting. - Following the above assumption we found the timing of these huge volumes of undocumented timber to be following a dramatic increase in Chinese and Vietnamese investments in mining, agriculture, forestry and hydropower in Laos. The majority of the associated projects' concessions were located in forested areas and accordingly contemplates the possibility of logging quotas acquisition. - We investigated the above correlation by comparing logging quotas issued for land clearance of one mining and one road construction project in the provinces of Saravan and Sekong with actual timber extraction. Analysis of relevant official documents, field surveys of logging sites and log depots, and interpretation of high resolution satellite images have been applied. We found 100% of timber extracted under the road construction project and 99% of the timber from the mining project to be illegal. Legal violations included: a. Extraction outside of concession boundaries. In the case of mining 76% of detected new logging sites were located beyond the concession borders while in the case of road construction all logging was found beyond the zone allocated for construction (in one case 40 km away from the closest point of the road). b. Logging comes in the form of extraction of only the best quality trees of target species with the highest volume. Species composition and grades of actually harvested timber drastically differed from what was permitted under quotas. Accordingly composition and volume of harvested timber had nothing to do with the results of pre-felling survey. c. Pre-felling survey of timber designated for logging is either not carried out or done only technically (formally) for the sake of appearance. In the case of mining it was completed only for 40% of the concession already after the commencement of the logging and was not used practically. There is every indication that the pre-felling survey for the road construction concession was not undertaken on the ground and documents include fictitious data. d. There was extraction of species not permitted to be cut (including prohibited for logging) and export of species in which harvest was not documented (including rosewood species). e. Extraction of higher volumes than permitted. In the case of road construction, the volume of exported timber (as it was reported to Vietnamese customs) exceeded over the entire officially documented harvest more than threefold. f. There was underreporting of the quality of harvested timber by selling Lao authorities and undervaluation of timber by Lao timber exporter, supposedly in order to understate royalties and taxes to Lao state. In the road construction case, the average volume of logs as reported by the importer at Vietnamese customs was 1.7-2.6 times higher than in log lists and sale-purchase contracts for the same species in Laos. Prices of exported timber as reported by the importer to Vietnamese customs was 2.9-4.2 higher than contract prices indicated in documents by the Lao exporter for same species on the Lao side. - The findings of these case studies and observations of other logging quotas allow us to suggest that in reality the use of permits for harvesting "conversion" timber during realization of development projects de-facto became a way to legitimate large-scale high grading in all types of forests (including conservation and protection forests). - The discrepancy between officially registered supply of raw materials to wood processing factories and their processing capacity is striking and obvious. Official logging quotas in the provinces of Saravan and Sekong can only fill 25% of installed wood processing capacity at best. The remaining capacity is likely filled with illegal timber. - The activity of state forest inspection (and most likely other Lao state law enforcement agencies responsible for fighting illegal logging) does not have any significant impact on the dynamics and scope of illegal logging as they do not inspect logging operations under logging quotas for conversion timber (neither logging sites nor logging volumes) and further turnover of this timber (transportation, processing, export). In the four southern Laos provinces they confiscated only about 3-5% of the estimated illegal timber volume in 2011- 2012. But even this confiscated timber originated from small operations and the large-scale commercial operations by big companies remained untouched. - The high dependence of China and critical dependence of Vietnam on timber supply from Laos makes it is unlikely that the governments of these countries are ready to take steps to control import legality. It is evident that such actions would reduce dramatically the volume and quality of timber from Laos together with the profit of timber traders and wood processing companies which enjoy excess profits from purchasing raw material for underestimated prices. An indication is the elegant wording suggested by the Vietnamese government for its draft legality definition for its negotiations of a FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement with the EU. It does not require importers to provide assurance that imported timber was legally harvested in the country of harvest, but rather that it was legally imported to Vietnam according to Vietnamese laws. - The situation with timber harvesting in Laos is evolving under a worst-case scenario exactly opposite to what was envisaged by Forest Strategy to the Year 2020 of the Lao PDR (endorsed by Decree No. 229/PM on 9 of August 2005): transition to sourcing timber from plantations and production forests on the basis of scientifically estimated annual allowable cut, processing of almost all harvested timber at Lao factories to final and semi-final products. Contrary to the government's good intentions developments under the actual scenario will undoubtedly lead to the sheer depletion of commercial timber stocks in its natural forests - on the same path that Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia have already taken. - Were the Lao government serious to change the status quo and avoid a worst-case scenario it would have to take immediate actions to assure that logging quotas for conversion timber meet fundamental legal requirements. The efforts must be focused on most critical points where urgent interventions are required and progress can be measured: a) Allow logging only within authorized borders. b) Provide unambiguous maps with crystal clear borders of all concessions where timber harvesting is permitted. c) Demarcate all boundaries before the beginning of logging. d) Conduct rigorous pre-felling surveys. e) Create and make available for all interested parties a database with key information about all permitted logging before the beginning of logging. f) Make field control over logging operations under quotas for conversion timber a priority for forest inspection staff. g) Use high and very high resolution satellite images as additional independent sources of information. h) Establish an independent monitoring body comprising representatives of the relevant government agencies, CSOs and INGOs with unrestricted access to all logging areas. i) Operate all forest inspection check points 24/7 and inspect timber transports en route. Not only search and detain carriers of small shipments of valuable timber but systematically register all timber shipments with information on type of product, volume and species composition regardless of the availability of "legally issued permits". j) Register timber turnover at all key points of the chain to match raw wood input with product output. Investigate mismatches thoroughly. k) Maintain account of timber supply to log landings throughout the whole logging season and regularly check accuracy of log lists maintenance. l) Regularly inspect wood processing factories to verify stocks of wood products presented in the factory against raw wood supply from documented sources. Test conversion factor of raw material to processed wood. m) Completely forbid bartering logging permits for investment in public projects. Details: London: World Wildlife Fund, 2015. 106p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 23, 2018 at: https://wildleaks.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CarBi-assessment-of-scope2.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Laos URL: https://wildleaks.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CarBi-assessment-of-scope2.pdf Shelf Number: 150346 Keywords: DeforestationEnvironmental CrimesForestsIllegal LoggingIllegal TradeNatural ResourcesOffenses Against the Environment |
Author: Global Witness Title: A Major Liability: Illegal Logging in Papua New Guinea Threatens China's Timber Sector and Global Reputation Summary: In 2016, PNG provided 29% of China's tropical log imports, making it the country's single largest supplier. But our investigation reveals how a large number of logging operations in Papua New Guinea (PNG) violate the law despite holding government-issued permits. China is the world's largest consumer and manufacturer of wood and wood products. Yet it has no regulation to keep illegal timber from entering its borders. The risk of illegal timber from countries like PNG flooding China's markets has the potential to damage its reputation and major trade relationships as buyers in the U.S. and EU, which ban illegal timber imports, take action to protect themselves. This trade has profound implications for PNG as well. 70% of the country is covered by forest ecosystems that are home to some of the world's rarest plants and animals. The forest is also central to the cultural traditions and livelihoods of PNG's eight million people. By continuing to import tropical timber from PNG on such a scale, China is driving the destruction of a vulnerable and ancient forest. In A Major Liability, we draw on satellite imagery to show hundreds of apparent violations of the country's Forestry Act in major logging operations - all of which hold government permits and all of which continue to export timber. Details: London: Global Witness, 2018. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 7, 2018 at https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/major-liability-illegal-logging-papua-new-guinea-threatens-chinas-timber-sector-and-global-reputation/ Year: 2018 Country: Asia URL: https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/major-liability-illegal-logging-papua-new-guinea-threatens-chinas-timber-sector-and-global-reputation/ Shelf Number: 151431 Keywords: Deforestation Environmental CrimeForests Illegal LoggingIllegal Trade Natural ResourcesOffenses Against the Environment Timber Industry |