Illegal timber ‘flourishing’
Ashleigh Wilson;18/4/08
Inadequate international laws are allowing an illegal timber trade worth more than $2 billion a year to flourish across the Asia-Pacific region, with 9 per cent of all timber imports to Australia coming from illicit sources. The findings are contained in a report by the Australian Institute of Criminology, which says the revenue from illegal logging has been used to finance rogue regimes and human rights abuses. The illegal trade, amid booming global demand for timber and timber products, results in lost government revenue and lasting environmental damage. “Corruption and bribery at all levels of government are common at every stage of this illicit trade,” the report says.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23558204-5013404,00.html
Tags: Asia-Pacific, Environment, Logging