Press Release: July 16, 2010
ILLEGAL LOGGING DECLINES AS TOUGHER
POLICIES, ENFORCEMENT
RISE:
Washington DC- Illegal
logging
declined
as
much
as
25%
worldwide
over
the
past
decade,
with
reductions
as
high
as
50% - 75%
in
key
countries,
but
work
is
not
done,
according
to
a new
study
released
by
the
London-based
think
tank
Chatham
House.
The
report,
based
on
data
from
twelve
countries
involved
in
the
global
trade
of
timber,
emphasized
the
key
role
of
signals
sent
by
legislation
such
as
the
Lacey
Act,
a
U.S.
law
recently
amended
to
criminalize
trade
in
illegally-sourced
timber,
and
the
European
Union's
new
prohibition
on
the
import
of
illegal
wood.
Enforcement
actions
in
producer
countries
like
Indonesia
and
Brazil,
coupled
with
the
increase
of
demand-side
signals
to
require
legal
sourcing
and
punish
irresponsible
buyers,
are
increasingly
helping
to
reduce
the
prevalence
of
illegal
practices
in
some
of
the
world's
most
threatened
forests.
The
study
states
it
has "already
identified
positive
effects
of
the
Lacey
Act
amendment
in
terms
of
the
response
of
producer
and
processing-country
governments
and
the
private
sector."
Alexander
von
Bismarck,
Executive
Director
of
the
Environmental
Investigation
Agency,
commended
the
report's
authors
for
their
thorough
research
and
credible
results.
"Our
field
investigations
have
consistently
revealed
that
illegal
loggers
are
encouraged
by
importers
who
fail
to
ask
tough
questions
about
the
source
of
their
material.
This
study
shows
that
practices
can
change
quickly
when
buyers
are
held
responsible
for
the
legality
of
the
wood
they
purchase,"
said
von
Bismarck.
The
global
climate
has
benefitted
as
well:
if
cut
down,
the
forests
protected
by
these
policies
would
have
emitted
between
1.2
billion
and
14.6
billion
tons
of
carbon
dioxide - at
the
upper
end,
almost
double
the
US's
annual
greenhouse
gas
emissions.
Actions
to
improve
governance
and
stem
the
trade
in
illegal
timber
in
both
producer
and
consumer
nations
will
also
prove
critical
to
the
success
of
programs
designed
to
reduce
emissions
from
deforestation
and
degradation.
The
Chatham
House
report
illustrates
some
of
the
challenges
ahead
for
continuing
the
eradication
of
the
illegal
timber
trade.
The
growing
position
of
China
as
a
major
importer,
manufacturer,
and
consumer
of
raw
wood
and
finished
products
highlights
the
need
for
concerted
international
action
to
close
off
all
potential
outlets
for
illegal
wood.
Sam
Lawson,
one
of
the
study's
authors,
considers
the
overhaul
of
regulations
in
major
importers
outside
the
U.S.
and
Europe
essential
to
preserving
the
gains
of
the
past
ten
years:
"Remaining
consumer
countries
such
as
China,
Japan,
and
Australia
must
act
aggressively
to
eliminate
the
trade
from
their
markets.
Illegal
logging
is
still
highly
profitable,
and
those
who
benefit
from
it
will
be
open
for
business
as
long
as
they
can
act
with
impunity."
View
the
report
online
at: http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/papers/view/-/id/911/
Additional
information:
The
Environmental
Investigation
Agency
investigates
and
lead
campaigns
against
environmental
crimes
around
the
world.
It
has
decades
of
experience
investigating
illegal
logging
and
the
international
trade
in
threatened
wildlife.
-------------------
Contact: Andrea Johnson, andrea@eiainternational.org, 202-483-6621
Environmental Investigation Agency
PO Box 53343, Washington, DC 20009 www.eia-global.org
Tel: +1 202 483 6621/ Fax: +1 202 986 8626
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