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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 8:18 pm
Time: 8:18 pm
Results for timber
9 results foundAuthor: Chimeli, Ariaster B. Title: The Use of Violence in Illegal Markets: Evidence from Mahogany Trade in the Brazilian Amazon Summary: Agents operating in illegal markets cannot resort to the justice system to guarantee property rights, to enforce contracts, or to seek protection from competitors’ improper behaviors. In these contexts, violence is used to enforce previous agreements and to fight for market share. This relationship plays a major role in the debate on the pernicious effects of the illegality of drug trade. This paper explores a singular episode of transition of a market from legal to illegal to provide a first piece of evidence on the causal effect of illegality on systemic violence. Brazil has historically been the main world producer of big leaf mahogany (a tropical wood). Starting in the 1990s, policies restricting extraction and trade of mahogany, culminating with prohibition, were implemented. First, we present evidence that large scale mahogany trade persisted after prohibition, through misclassification of mahogany exports as “other tropical timber species.” Second, we document relative increases in violence after prohibition in areas with: (i) higher share of mahogany exports before prohibition; (ii) higher suspected illegal mahogany activity after prohibition; and (iii) natural occurrence of mahogany. We believe this is one of the first documented experiences of increase in violence following the transition of a market from legal to illegal. Details: Bonn, Germany: Institute for the Study of Labor, 2011. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: IZA Discussion Paper, No. 5923: Accessed September 3, 2011 at: http://ftp.iza.org/dp5923.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Brazil URL: http://ftp.iza.org/dp5923.pdf Shelf Number: 122631 Keywords: HomicidesIllegal LoggingIllegal Markets (Brazil)Offenses Against the EnvironmentTimberViolence |
Author: Baumuller, Heike Title: Keeping Illegal Fish and Timber off the Market: A Comparison of EU Regulations Summary: . Illegal fishing and logging, and the international trade in illegally sourced fish and wood products cause enormous environmental and economic damage. Consumer countries contribute to the problem by importing fish and timber without ensuring legality – a problem the EU tries to address with two new regulations. In this briefing paper, Duncan Brack, Heike Baumüller and Katharina Umpfenbach compare the recently adopted EU regulations on illegal fish and timber products. The authors contrast the very different approaches and highlight areas that might need further strengthening. •In response to the global problem of illegal logging and fishing, and the failure of the international community effectively to address the problem, the European Union has moved to tighten its own regulations. •The EU regulation to combat illegal fishing introduces comprehensive certification and traceability requirements for anyone wishing to import fish products into the EU, and provides for extensive enforcement measures that can be used by European authorities to ensure compliance with the regulation. •The EU regulation on illegal logging establishes a licensing system with countries that have entered into voluntary partnership agreements (VPA) with the EU. An additional regulation is currently being developed to try to ensure that illegal timber from all countries is excluded from the EU market. •The broad scope of the illegal fishing regulation, in terms of its geographical reach and its emphasis on enforcement is, at least in part, motivated by the ‘common property’ nature of global fisheries resources, which makes it difficult to address the impacts of illegal fishing at the national level. •The bilateral VPA process recognizes the national character of forest governance. While slow in their implementation, the VPAs – with their emphasis on capacity-building and stakeholder engagement – have the potential to trigger long-lasting governance reforms. Details: London: Chatham House, 2009. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Briefing Paper: Accessed September 3, 2011 at: http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/public/Research/Energy%2C%20Environment%20and%20Development/bp1009_fishandtimber.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Europe URL: http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/public/Research/Energy%2C%20Environment%20and%20Development/bp1009_fishandtimber.pdf Shelf Number: 122342 Keywords: Illegal Fishing (Europe)Illegal LoggingIllegal MarketsTimberWildlife Crime |
Author: Barcenas, Lai-Lynn Angelica B. Title: How Trade Facilitation Measures Impact Current Law and Policy on the Wildlife and Timber Trade: Case Study of the Greater Mekong Subregion Summary: International trade is a strong driver of economic growth, and for developing countries like those in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) there is a strong incentive to maximize its potential. Thus, efforts are being made to facilitate trade within the subregion through improvements in infrastructure, telecommunications and transportation. Among these efforts are trade facilitation measures designed to ease the export and import of goods. However, while these measures will increase the international trade of each GMS state, they may also have adverse effects on the biodiversity of the subregion. Global demand for wildlife and timber is already depleting the rich habitats of the GMS. The increased facility in the movement of goods across international borders that these trade facilitation measures would provide could further exacerbate such depletion. It is thus important for policymakers to carefully assess the emerging trade facilitation mechanisms and processes and determine potential risks and opportunities in curbing the unsustainable harvest of wildlife and timber, and their attendant trade. Details: Winnipeg, Canada: IIPD - International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. 5p. Source: Series on Trade and the Environment in ASEAN - Policy Brief 1: Internet Resource: Accessed February 7, 2012 at http://www.iisd.org/tkn/pdf/trade_facilitation_wildlife_timber_brief.pdf Year: 2010 Country: International URL: http://www.iisd.org/tkn/pdf/trade_facilitation_wildlife_timber_brief.pdf Shelf Number: 124021 Keywords: Law EnforcementTimberWildlifeWildlife Conservation |
Author: von Pfeil, Evy, ed. Title: FLEGT - Combating illegal logging as a contribution towards sustainable development Summary: Illegal logging and trade in illegally harvested timber constitutes a widespread phenomenon in many developing countries. Illegal logging contributes to the destruction of forests world-wide, and its far-reaching impacts go far beyond the confines of the forest sector. FLEGT is therefore a key field of action of international forest policy. Since the Plan of Implementation was adopted by the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), held in Johannesburg in 2002, there has been a fundamental global awareness of the urgent need to combat illegal activities in the forest sector. As far back as 1998, the G8 states made a commitment to promote measures to combat illegal logging. Since 2001, the World Bank has been assisting regional processes whereby participating countries undertake to implement FLEG measures. In 2003, the EU adopted its FLEGT Action Plan, cornerstones of which include a licensing scheme for timber and Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs)with timber-producing countries. Both the Foodand Agriculture Organization (FAO)and the International Tropical Timber Organization(ITTO) have incorporated FLEGT measures into their work programmes. Although there is akeen awareness at political level – also among many timber-producing countries – of the need to curb illegal logging and trade in illegal timber products, actual implementation is still difficult and results to date have been limited. The proposals for action to combat illegal activities in the forest sector outlined in this paper should be seen as an intermediate step towards achieving sustainable forest management. Development-policy measures to promote FLEGT aim to support the partners’ own commitment to introducing and implementing reforms relating to good governance, combating corruption and supporting law enforcement. Advisory services to partner countries and regions adopt a multi-level approach that incorporates all instruments of German development cooperation. FLEGT-relevant measures have already been integrated into many ongoing bilateral development cooperation projects and programmes. This strategy provides ideas on how to extend this commitment,taking account of the specific national and regional features of FLEGT policies. Details: Bonn, Germany: Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2007. 19p. Source: Topics 180: Internet Resource: Accessed August 21, 2012 at http://www.bmz.de/en/publications/topics/environment/Materialie180.pdf Year: 2007 Country: Germany URL: http://www.bmz.de/en/publications/topics/environment/Materialie180.pdf Shelf Number: 126085 Keywords: Forest ManagementIllegal LoggingOffenses Against the EnvironmentTimber |
Author: Erdenechuluun, T. Title: Wood Supply in Mongolia: The Legal and Illegal Economies Summary: The forests of Mongolia protect watersheds and water supply, and as a source of timber, fuel wood, pine nuts, berries and game they are saviors and sustainers of livelihoods. Mongolia's forestry sector is currently in crisis, with illegal logging devastating accessible forests, particularly around urban centers. Lack of reliable data means that estimates of timber consumption vary widely, but levels are clearly well above the sustainable harvest for Mongolia's slow growing forests. Lack of planning and active management, lack of inventory, loss of capacity, and corruption have together led to significant degradation of forest quality, and have created virtual anarchy in the forestry industry. The publication reviews the current situation, examines action to date and makes a series of recommendations for bringing control to, and prosperity from, Mongolia's forestry sector. This report represents a novel and unconventional approach to the very serious subject of illegal wood supply in Mongolia. Rather than just relying on official statistics, which have many drawbacks, the team sought information from a range of sources, such as direct interviews with government officials and others working in the sector; field observation of illegal activities, often in the dead of night; and indirect approaches using various data sources to test assumptions. Details: Washington, DC: The World Bank, 2006. 88p. Source: Internet Resource:Discussion Papers, East Asia and Pacific Environment and Social Development Department; Accessed May 22, 2013 at: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/MONGOLIAEXTN/Resources/mong_timber_int_for_web.pdf Year: 2006 Country: Mongolia URL: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/MONGOLIAEXTN/Resources/mong_timber_int_for_web.pdf Shelf Number: 128781 Keywords: ConservationForest ManagementForestsIllegal Logging (Mongolia)Natural ResourcesTimber |
Author: Poyry Forest Industry Pty Ltd Title: Legal Forest Products Assurance - A Risk Assessment Framework for Assessing the Legality of Timber and Wood Projects Imported into Australia Summary: Poyry Forest Industry Ltd (Pöyry) has been engaged by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) to review existing methodologies for assessing illegality of imported timber and wood products. Based on this review, Poyry was to develop a more accurate and reliable methodology for quantifying the volume and value of illegally-sourced wood products imported into Australia. This project supports the Australian Government’s commitment to combat illegal logging and associated trade. The methodology review concluded that the current methods lacked reliable data on which to base policy. Problems were found at each stage in the wood supply chain from accurate knowledge of the operating and regulatory environments covering sustainability and “legality” of forest management and timber harvesting, to data tracking the often complex log and subsequent product flows from the forests to primary and secondary manufacturing. Further complicating the situation is that much wood crosses borders via transhipment of logs and timber products from producer countries to secondary manufacturing countries and from there to consumer countries. When coupled with the imprecision in current trade statistics the review concluded that current methods to estimate volumes or values of timber and wood product imports from illegal sources are very unreliable. These findings led Poyry to develop an alternative approach that is based on developing a risk assessment framework based on transparent assessments of governance arrangements within wood supplying countries. Details: Canberra: Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), 2010. 83p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 1, 2013 at: http://www.daff.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/1871733/Poyry_Report_-_Risk_assessment_framework_for_assessing_legality_of_timber_and_wood_products_imported_into_Australia.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Australia URL: http://www.daff.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/1871733/Poyry_Report_-_Risk_assessment_framework_for_assessing_legality_of_timber_and_wood_products_imported_into_Australia.pdf Shelf Number: 128914 Keywords: Illegal ImportsIllegal LoggingRisk AssessmentTimber |
Author: Environmental Investigation Agency Title: Organised Chaos: The illicit overland timber trade between Myanmar and China Summary: The conviction and subsequent pardon of 155 Chinese nationals in July for illegal logging in Myanmar threw a spotlight on how massive volumes of timber stolen from the county's precious frontier forests have been flowing unhindered into China for decades. The murky trade is worth hundreds of millions of dollars every year, making it one of the single largest bilateral overland flows of illegal timber in the world. The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) today releases a new report following extensive undercover investigations into the trade in China and Myanmar, exposing the key actors and systemic corruption which drive and facilitate it. Organised Chaos: The illicit overland timber trade between Myanmar and China documents how in Kachin State all parties profit, from shady Chinese businesses paying in gold bars for the rights to log entire mountains to the official corruption which allows the timber to pass through various checkpoints. Kachin and Yunnan Province in China are at the heart of trade but stolen timber is increasingly being sourced from deeper within Myanmar to feed factories in south and east China. The bulk of the timber moving across the border is now high value species of rosewood and teak. Talks between Myanmar and China are due to take place in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, on September 24 and EIA calls on both countries to take urgent effective action against the massive illicit timber trade. Faith Doherty, EIA Forest Campaign Team Leader, said: "At first glance, this cross-border trade looks to be both chaotic and complex, with most of the stolen timber trafficked through Myanmar's conflict-torn Kachin State, but the reality beneath the apparent anarchy is an intricate and structured supply chain within which different players have defined functions and collude to ensure the logs keep flowing." The trade appeared to have peaked in 2005 when one million cubic metres of logs crossed the border but, following a brief hiatus when Chinese authorities clamped down, the scale is once again nearing peak levels. This trade contravenes Myanmar regulations prohibiting overland export of wood and the country's log export ban introduced in April 2014. At stake are some of the most ecologically important remaining forests in South-East Asia. EIA's evidence shows that as intensive logging exhausts forests in the border area, Chinese-run operations are encroaching deeper into Myanmar. Doherty added: "Both Myanmar and China need to take urgent and effective action to stem the torrent of illicit timber flowing across their joint border or watch conflict, violence and forest destruction continue to escalate." Details: London: EIA, 2015. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 18, 2015 at: https://drive.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://eia-international.org/wp-content/uploads/EIA-Organised-Chaos-FINAL-lr1.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Asia URL: https://drive.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://eia-international.org/wp-content/uploads/EIA-Organised-Chaos-FINAL-lr1.pdf Shelf Number: 136814 Keywords: ForestsIllegal LoggingIllicit TradeOffenses Against the EnvironmentTimber |
Author: Global Witness Title: Buyers in Good Faith: How Timber Exporters are Complicit in Plundering Peru's Amazon Summary: A new report into an emblematic case of timber trafficking in Peru highlights the corruption and fraud that continue to sabotage attempts to crack down on a trade that is devastating the Amazon region. The report, released on November 9 by investigative watchdog group Global Witness, tells the story of the most high-profile anti-timber trafficking operation in Peruvian history: the November 2015 attempted seizure of illegal timber from the ship Yacu Kallpa as it was anchored in the Amazon River near the city of Iquitos. On the morning the Yacu Kallpa was set to depart on a journey that would have eventually taken it to Houston, Texas, a public prosecutor boarded the ship and attempted to seize 15 percent of its cargo - 1,200 square meters of wood that investigators had proven was of illegal origin. The boat eventually departed after a day of murky interventions and legal wrangling that ended with the ship's captain promising the prosecutor to return with the 15 percent after dropping off the rest of the cargo, according to an account of events in an investigation by Wired. However, investigators continued their work, visiting the locations cited in the wood's certificates of origin to verify its extraction. The Yacu Kallpa was eventually detained in Mexico and its cargo seized. By the time they had finished their verification, investigators had established that 96 percent of the cargo - more than 9,500 square meters - was "not of legal origin." Details: London: Global Witness, 2017. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 20, 2017 at: http://globalinitiative.net/timber-peru/ Year: 2017 Country: Peru URL: http://globalinitiative.net/timber-peru/ Shelf Number: 148273 Keywords: ForestsIllegal LoggingNatural ResourcesTimberTrafficking in Timber |
Author: Earthsight Title: The Coming Storm: How Secrecy and Collusion in Industrial Agriculture Spell Disaster for the Congo Basin's Forests Summary: The Coming Storm documents the destruction of the forests of the Congo Basin for industrial palm oil and rubber plantations. The investigative report, released by the London-based non-profit Earthsight, reveals that five-hundred square kilometres of forest has been bulldozed in the last five years and that the destruction is set to accelerate, as high-level corruption and some of the regions most notorious logging companies combine to create a toxic mix. Details: London, UK: 2018. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 16, 2019 at: http://www.bad-ag.info/app/uploads/2018/03/Earthsight_The_Coming_Storm_20pp_Report_0218_FINAL_v2.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Africa URL: https://www.illegal-logging.info/content/coming-storm-how-secrecy-and-collusion-industrial-agriculture-spell-disaster-congo-basin%E2%80%99s Shelf Number: 154185 Keywords: Africa Blood Timber Central African Republic Congo Basin Corruption Deforestation Democratic Republic of Congo Forest Illegal Logging Logging Companies Plantation Projects Republic of Congo Timber |