Government officials in charge of protected areas have contributed to deforestation by allowing illegal logging and trafficking. King Bhumibol Adulyadej blamed the greed of some state officials for the destruction of Thailand`s forest areas. This is evident in places such as large protected parts of northern Nan province, which were once covered in virgin forests and have been cut down despite their status as a national park. [30] Given that a mature 30-year-old Siamese rosewood can fetch 300,000 baht on the black market, illegal logging is unlikely to disappear. [31] [32] Illegality can also occur during transport, e.g. illegal processing and export (through a fraudulent customs declaration); Avoid taxes and other fees and fraudulent certification. [1] These acts are often referred to as “wood washing.” [2] Forest loss due to illegal logging threatens biodiversity in forest habitats. More and more species cannot survive because the practice deprives the habitat of crucial natural networking. Widespread forest fragmentation and degradation has brought more animal and plant species to the brink of extinction.
As stewards of our planet`s resources, it is important that people join the fight against illegal logging by donating or volunteering. It can be as simple as spending a few hours a week, donating money, or funding campaigns for organizations like the Forest Stewardship Council, Greenpeace, and the World Wildlife Fund. In response to growing concerns about illegal logging and advice from TRAFFIC[8] and other organizations[9], the United States changed its position on 22 July. In May 2008, the Food, Conservation and Energy Act, 2008 extended its protections to a broader range of plants and plant products (Section 8204. [55] The new amendments have two requirements. First, the Lacey Act now makes it illegal to import harvested plants into the United States contrary to applicable federal law, state law, Indian tribal law, or foreign law. If a plant is found to have been harvested in violation of the laws of the country where it was harvested, that plant will be subject to seizure and forfeiture if imported into the United States. The Lacey Act also prohibits, as of December 15, 2008, the importation of certain plants and plant products without a declaration of importation of plants and plant products.
[56] The scale of illegal logging represents a significant loss of income for many countries and can lead to widespread environmental damage. A Senate committee in the Philippines estimated that the country was losing up to $1.8 billion a year in the 1980s. [33] The Indonesian government estimated in 2002 that the cost of illegal logging was $3 billion per year. [34] The World Bank[35] estimates that illegal logging costs timber-producing countries between €10 billion and €15 billion per year. In comparison, EUR 10 billion was disbursed as Community aid in 2002. [36] The way to combat illegal logging is to address its root causes, including corruption, power imbalances, lack of clarity on land rights, and excessive influence by the timber industry and other stakeholders on forest policy and legislation. The economy of global markets also plays a role in promoting illegal logging. The reason for this is that illegal timber is generally cheaper than legal timber on black markets, thus depriving legal operators of competitive advantages. These initiatives therefore provide the most outstanding global standards for forest management and as consumers; Now it is up to us to be careful when buying wood and its products.
In this way, we will reduce illegal logging, industry and the multi-billion dollar markets associated with it. In addition, the illicit trade in forest resources undermines international security and is often associated with corruption, money-laundering, organized crime, human rights violations and, in some cases, violent conflict. In the forestry sector, cheap imports of illegal timber and illegal forest products, as well as non-compliance with basic social and environmental standards by some economic operators, destabilise international markets. This unfair competition affects European companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, which behave responsibly and are prepared to act according to fair rules. Illegal logging contributes to deforestation and thus global warming, leads to biodiversity loss and undermines the rule of law. These illegal activities undermine responsible forest management, encourage corruption and tax evasion and reduce the revenues of producing countries, further limiting the resources that producing countries can invest in sustainable development. Illegal logging has serious economic and social consequences for the poor and disadvantaged, as millions of dollars of timber income are lost every year. [15] Illegal logging releases huge amounts of carbon. Forest trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it as they grow and grow. Tropical forests alone contain more than 210 gigatonnes of carbon, seven times the amount emitted each year by human activities.