European Parliament Bans Illegal Timber

Author:
First published in Sanctuary Asia, Vol. 30 No. 7, July 2010

 

The vote follows several years of wrangling over how stringent the legislation should be.

 

Campaigners say they are pleased that the issue is to be addressed at last. About 20% of timber coming into the EU is thought to be illegal.

 

The illegal timber trade plays a significant part in the deforestation of some tropical countries.

 

It helped sustain the recent Liberian civil conflict as armed factions used the revenue for arms. Read the full report here.

 

Source: Richard Black, Environment correspondent, BBC News, UK

join the conversation