illegal logging news from mongabay.com

Tropical ecologist: Australia must follow U.S. and EU in banning illegally logged wood

2012-02-09T20:00:00Z

Australia should join the widening effort to stamp out illegal logging, according to testimony given this week by tropical ecologist William Laurance with James Cook University. Presenting before the Australian Senate's rural affairs committee, Laurance argued that the massive environmental and economic costs of illegal logging worldwide should press Australia to tighten regulations against importing illegally logged timber at home.

Caution urged in sale of Madagascar's illegal timber stockpiles

2012-02-03T23:42:00Z

Confiscated timber stocks in Madagascar must be managed in a "transparent manner" to deter future illegal logging and boosting demand for endangered rainforest timber, says a letter published by a coalition of NGOs.

Featured video: music in Madagascar to protest illegal logging

2012-01-22T20:35:00Z

A new video highlights the plight of Madagascar's protected tropical forests, which are falling prey to illegal logging and foreign contractors. Featuring Razia Said, Malagasy singer and songwriter, the video shows concerts to raise awareness about illegal logging, especially near Maosala National Park.

National Association of Music Merchants does 'disservice' to members by misleading them on illegal logging law, says letter

2012-01-19T20:51:00Z

The National Association of Music Merchants is doing a 'disservice' to its members by misrepresenting the provisions and spirit of the Lacey Act, a law that aims to curb illegal logging abroad, states a letter published by a coalition of environmental groups. The letter, issued Thursday, urges the National Association of Music Merchants to reconsider its support for the RELIEF Act (HR 3210), introduced by Representatives Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), and Jim Cooper (D-TN) last October. The RELIEF Act would weaken key provisions of the Lacey Act aimed to ensure that illegally sourced wood products aren't imported into the United States.

Peruvian smugglers traffic illegal rainforest timber from Brazil to America

2012-01-11T22:57:00Z

An investigation by Brazil's Federal Police has detailed a significant trade of illegally logged rainforest wood by Peruvian nationals making its way from northern Brazil to the U.S. and Mexico, reports O Globo.

How lemurs fight climate change

2012-01-09T15:08:00Z

Kara Moses may have never become a biologist if not for a coin toss. The coin, which came up heads and decided Moses' direction in college, has led her on a sinuous path from studying lemurs in captivity to environmental writing, and back to lemurs, only this time tracking them in their natural habitat. Her recent research on ruffed lemurs is attracting attention for documenting the seed dispersal capabilities of Critically Endangered ruffed lemurs as well as theorizing connections between Madagascar's lemurs and the carbon storage capacity of its forests. Focusing on the black-and-white ruffed lemur's (Varecia variegata) ecological role as a seed disperser—animals that play a major role in spreading a plant's seeds far-and-wide—Moses suggests that not only do the lemurs disperse key tree species, but they could be instrumental in dispersing big species that store large amounts of carbon.

CI refutes Cambodian logging story

2011-12-23T17:51:00Z

Conservation International (CI) issued a sharp rebuke of a Phnom Pehn Post story that alleged involvement in illegal rosewood logging in Cambodia's Central Cardamom Protected Forest.

Philippines disaster may have been worsened by climate change, deforestation

2011-12-20T17:43:00Z

As the Philippines begins to bury more than a 1,000 disaster victims in mass graves, Philippine President Benigno Aquino has ordered an investigation into last weekend's flash flood and landslide, including looking at the role of illegal logging. Officials have pointed to both climate change and vast deforestation as likely exacerbating the disaster.

Featured video: documentary on logging mafia

2011-12-19T17:02:00Z

A new documentary, The Real Chainsaw Massacre, follows the corrupt and violent black market of illegal timber trading in Vietnam. The documentary highlights the efforts of undercover investigators with the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) working to expose the lucrative trade of illegal logging from Laos to Vietnam. A trade that is not only decimating forests in Southeast Asia, but is imperiling biodiversity, harming locals, and often coupled with other illegal activities.

Environmental groups to Japan: stop importing illegally logged timber

2011-12-16T02:44:00Z

A coalition of environmental NGOs have called upon Japan to adopt stronger measures to block illicit timber imports, alleging that Japanese companies are buying illegally logged wood from Samling Global, a Malaysian logging company.

Seismic trails cut by U.S. oil firm in Belizean national park used by illegal loggers

2011-12-06T19:49:00Z

In the Belizean rainforest two rangers look up and down a straight path hacked through the jungle and take GPS coordinates, the escorting soldiers lying back in the heat as the coordinates are delivered. These are noted and the patrol resumes, pausing to photograph protected comfra palms that have been cut and laid on the muddy ground, or stretches where the rainforest has been cleared far beyond the permitted width. We are in the Sarstoon-Temash National Park, nearly 42,000 acres of rainforest and red mangrove swamps in southern Belize adjacent to the Guatemalan border, and the park rangers are dealing with a new threat to the biodiversity of the reserve. Rather than searching for illegal loggers from Guatemala, this patrol is monitoring the activities of an American oil company.

World's most endangered primate still losing habitat

2011-12-04T21:30:00Z

Just twenty-three Hainan gibbons (Nomascus hainanus) survive in the world. Confined to a single protected area on a lone island, Hainan gibbons are losing their habitat at a steady rate of 20 hectares per day finds a new study by Greenpeace. In all, nearly a quarter of the Critically Endangered lesser ape's habitat has been lost since 2001.

Indonesian president urges consumers not to support illegally logging

2011-11-29T19:16:00Z

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged the world not to encourage illegal logging in Indonesia by purchasing illicit wood products, reports the Jakarta Globe.

Peace accord reached in violent conflict between locals and Indonesian state plantation company

2011-11-23T21:38:00Z

A peace accord has been announced to resolve a long-running conflict between a giant state-owned plantation company and local communities on the Indonesian island of Java.

Monarch butterflies decline at wintering grounds in Mexico, Texas drought adds to stress to migration

2011-11-10T21:30:00Z

Every fall, millions of monarch butterflies travel south to Mexico and take refuge in twelve mountain sanctuaries of oyamel fir forests. Now, declining numbers of the overwintering butterflies expose the migration’s vulnerability and raise questions about threats throughout the monarch’s lifecycle. A study published online last spring in Insect Conservation and Diversity shows a decrease in Mexico’s overwintering monarch butterflies between 1994 and 2011. The butterflies face loss of wintering habitat in Mexico and breeding habitat in the United States. Extreme weather, like winter storms in Mexico and the ongoing drought in Texas, adds yet another challenge.

Madagascar interim president: sell rosewood stocks

2011-11-09T21:42:00Z

Madagascar should sell its stocks of illegally logged rainforest timber, Madagascar's interim leader Andry Rajoelina told the BBC in an interview.

Cooper-Blackburn bill seeks exemptions for illegal wood imports

2011-11-05T06:19:00Z

A proposed bill would gut the Lacey Act, undermining an amendment that bans import of illegally logging forest products, says a coalition of environmentalists and woodworkers in a letter addressed to members of Congress. The bill, introduced last month by Jim Cooper, Marsha Blackburn, and Mary Bono Mack, would grant an exemption to pulp and paper importers from Lacey Act requirements, while reducing fines for non-compliance to a pittance for "first time" offenders no matter the size of the infraction.

Saving Ghana's vanishing frogs

2011-11-02T18:54:00Z

Frogs need all the help they can get. With the IUCN Red List estimating that 41 percent of amphibians are endangered, frogs are currently the world's most imperiled animal family. Scientists estimate that around 200 amphibian species have been lost to extinction in recent decades to habitat loss, pollution, and a devastating fungal disease. Yet as the frog emergency worsens, there have been positive movements in conservation. The most recent comes from the small West African country of Ghana. Partnering with the enthusiastic US-based organization, SAVE THE FROGS!, two Ghanaian herpetologists, Gilbert Baase Adum and Caleb Ofori, have started a sister branch in their country: SAVE THE FROGS! Ghana.

Group forms to establish standard for Lacey Act compliance

2011-10-28T23:14:00Z

A coalition of companies, non-profits, and association has formed to develop a standard to help ensure compliance with the Lacey Act.

Tea Party rallies in favor of Gibson Guitar, ignores reasons instrument-maker is under investigation

2011-10-10T13:23:00Z

This weekend around 500 people showed up for a rally and concert in Nashville, Tennessee. The rally was in support of Gibson Guitars, a US-company currently under investigation for allegedly importing illegally logged wood into the country, an action that breaks a recent bipartisan amendment to the Lacey Act. While the Tea Party-affiliated groups that held the rally were expressing frustration with perceived over-regulation by the federal government, the issue at stake—a global effort to help stem illegal logging—was actually overlooked by the organizers.

September in review: A massive crocodile and Gibson Guitars' disingenuous PR campaign

2011-10-03T00:27:00Z

A post about the giant crocodile captured in the Philippines was the most popular article on mongabay.com's news section during the month of September. The 21-foot (6.4-meter) saltwater crocodile was captured in Agusan del Sur wetland on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao after a three-week hunt following the disappearance of a farmer in the town of Bunawan. The giant croc will be kept at a nature park in Bunawan, where it is expected to be the star attraction among other wildlife found in the marsh. The crocodile is believed to be the biggest ever captured, exceeding a 5.48-meter (18-foot) male which lives at a zoo in Australia.

Tea party versus Madagascar's forests

2011-10-02T21:13:00Z

The Tea Party and the African island-nation of Madagascar are having dueling concerts over the issue of illegal logging, reports the Associated Press. A concert in Madagascar over the weekend was meant to highlight the problem of illegal deforestation in one of the world's poorest countries. Meanwhile the Tea Party is holding a rally and concert on October 8th to support Gibson Guitar, a musical instruments company currently under investigation for breaking US law by allegedly purchasing illegally logged wood products from Madagascar.

Madagascar asks CITES to regulate rosewood and ebony

2011-09-29T21:36:00Z

Following a logging crisis in 2009 where a number of Madagascar's remaining forests were illegally cut, the African nation has turned to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to help regulate 91 species of rosewood and ebony. "Regulating trade in these high-value timber species under CITES will help ensure that the benefits of trade flow to local people and it will also serve the global community by helping conserve these species, which will be to the benefit of entire ecosystems."

U.S. Lacey Act, programs in Rwanda and Gambia, awarded for forest protection

2011-09-23T16:57:00Z

Forest policies in the United States, Rwanda, and Gambia won U.N. backed awards for contributing to efforts to protect and sustainably manage forests.

Background: the Lacey Act and the Fish & Wildlife Service raid on Gibson Guitars

2011-09-02T19:38:00Z

On 24 August 2011, agents of the Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) raided Gibson Guitar facilities in Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee, seizing ebony and rosewood material, guitars and guitar parts as evidence of suspected violation(s) of the U.S. Lacey Act. The Lacey Act is a long-standing anti-trafficking statute which prohibits commerce of illegally-sourced wildlife, plants and wood products from either the U.S. or other countries.

FBI questioned over ties with corrupt official

2011-08-25T17:48:00Z

Activists are questioning the FBI over the agency's rental of office space in a building owned by the family of a controversial Malaysian official.

Could "wood bank" ease Madagascar's illegal logging problem?

2011-08-25T06:14:00Z

ith illegal timber stocks continuing to build due ongoing logging in its rainforest parks and under pressure from powerful timber traders, Madagascar's political leaders are debating a plan to lift a ban on precious wood exports. Environmentalists fear the move — without proper safeguards — could effectively reward illegal loggers and drive further exploitation the country's remaining forests.

Madagascar may authorize exports of illegally-logged rosewood

2011-08-22T23:18:00Z

A meeting scheduled for August 25th between rosewood traders, the Ministry of Forest and Environment, and other government officials may determine the fate of tens of millions of dollars' worth of rosewood illegally logged from Madagascar's rainforests parks.

WWF to investigate program that partners with notorious loggers

2011-08-14T13:49:00Z

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has announced an independent review of its Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN) following a report from Global Witness that criticized the conservation organization for working with a number of logging companies that destroy forests, imperil species, and abuse human rights. While WWF's GTFN is meant to support companies in changing their ways, Global Witness' report argued that it led to greenwashing forest destruction, including illegal logging.

Fuji Xerox Australia dumps paper supplier accused of rainforest destruction

2011-08-05T02:39:00Z

Fuji Xerox Australia have severed ties with Asia Pacific Resources International (APRIL), an paper products giant accused of illegally clearing rainforests in Sumatra for pulp and paper production, reports Nine News.

Vietnamese military illegally plundering Laos' forests

2011-07-28T15:56:00Z

Dwindling forests in the Asian nation of Laos are being illegally destroyed and traded by Vietnamese companies with the Vietnamese army as one of the biggest players in this multi-million dollar smuggling operation, according to an investigation by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). EIA agents went undercover as timber purchasers to discover a long trail of corruption and poor enforcement from the destruction of Laos forests to furniture factories in Vietnam to stores in the USA and Europe. Even a ban on exporting raw timber out of Laos has done little to stop the plunder of the nation's forests for outside gain.

Australian 'green' buildings used illegally logged wood from rainforests allege activists

2011-07-27T18:38:00Z

A 'green' building development being built by Frasers Property Australia in Sydney has been accused of using illegally-sourced plywood from Malaysian state of Sarawak in Borneo, according to a new Greenpeace report. The wood in question comes from a subsidiary of Samling, a company that has been connected to illegal logging and abusing the rights of indigenous groups in the past. After the revelations came to light, Frasers Property Australia said they would conduct an audit of the wood which was provided to them by Australian Wood Panels (AWP).

WWF partnering with companies that destroy rainforests, threaten endangered species

2011-07-25T00:06:00Z

Arguably the globe's most well-known conservation organization, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), has been facilitating illegal logging, vast deforestation, and human rights abuses by pairing up with notorious logging companies in a flagging effort to convert them to greener practices, alleges a new report by Global Witness. Through its program, the Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN), WWF—known as World Wildlife Fund in the US and Canada—has become entangled with some dubious companies, including one that is imperiling orangutans in Borneo and another which has been accused of human rights abuses in the Congo rainforest. Even with such infractions, these companies are still able to tout connections to WWF and use its popular panda logo. The Global Witness report, entitled Pandering to the Loggers, calls for WWF to make large-scale changes in order to save the credibility of its corporate program.

Suspects named for assassination of husband and wife activists in Brazil

2011-07-21T17:30:00Z

Brazilian authorities have fingered three men for the killing of environmental activist, José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva, and his wife, Maria do Espírito Santo da Silva, in May. The grisly murders received international attention, since José da Silva was a well known activist against illegal logging in Pará, a state in Brazil that is rife with deforestation and violence.

Another rosewood bust in Madagascar

2011-07-12T17:35:00Z

Authorities in Madagascar confiscated six containers of rosewood logs worth $360,000 - $600,000 at a port in the northwestern part of the country, reports AFP.

Endangered species trafficking: What did Gibson Guitar know?

2011-07-07T01:20:00Z

A motion filed last month by the U.S. Department of Justice alleges Gibson Guitar knew it was trafficking in endangered timber when it was busted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in November 2009, reports the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).

New rosewood scandal in Madagascar

2011-07-01T16:06:00Z

Customs officials in Madagascar threatened to go on strike Monday if the country's Transition Authority does not reveal the owner of a shipment of six containers of rosewood seized in Mauritius.

Logging company fined $100 million for illegal logging in Papua New Guinea

2011-06-28T18:24:00Z

In a landmark court decision a judge has slapped a logging company with a nearly $100 million (K225.5 million) fine for large-scale illegal logging. Last week, Malaysian timber company, Concord Pacific, was sentenced to pay four forest tribes for environmental destruction in the first ruling of its kind for Papua New Guinea.

Pictures: Turquoise 'dragon' among 1,000 new species discovered in New Guinea

2011-06-27T06:07:00Z

Scientists discovered more than 1,000 previously unknown species during a decade of research in New Guinea, says a new report from WWF. While the majority of 1,060 species listed are plants and insects, the inventory includes 134 amphibians, 71 fish, 43 reptiles, 12 mammals, and 2 birds. Among the most notable finds: a woolly giant rat, an endemic subspecies of the silky cuscus, a snub-fin dolphin, a turquoise and black 'dragon' or monitor lizard, and an 8-foot (2.5-m) river shark.

Rainforests in Sumatra, Honduras added to UN's danger list

2011-06-23T04:03:00Z

Rainforests in Honduras and on the Indonesian island of Sumatra have been added to the U.N.'s "danger" list due to illegal logging, encroachment, and road contruction, reports UNESCO.

Laos announces crackdown on illegal logging, timber smuggling

2011-06-22T21:00:00Z

Laos Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong ordered authorities to crack down on illegal logging and timber trafficking in the midst of accelerating forest loss, reports the Vientiane Times.

Indonesia to investigate palm oil company that allegedly breached moratorium

2011-06-21T21:09:00Z

Indonesia's REDD+ Task Force will investigate charges that PT Menteng Jaya Sawit Perdana (PT Menteng), a palm oil company owned by Malaysia-based Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad (KLK), has cleared peat forest in breach of the country's newly-signed moratorium on the granting of new forestry licenses on peatlands and in primary forest areas. The allegation was levied by the Environmental Investigation Agency, an international NGO, and Telapak, an Indonesian group, after an on-the-ground undercover investigation. EIA and Telapak found that PT Menteng had cleared peat forest near Sampit in Indonesia's Central Kalimantan province without securing proper licenses.

Malaysian palm oil company violates Indonesia's logging moratorium

2011-06-16T05:18:00Z

An undercover investigation has found evidence that a subsidiary of Malaysian palm oil company has illegally cleared forest in breach of the Indonesia's moratorium on new permits in primary forest areas and peatlands.

Bloody June: fifth rural activist assassinated in Brazil this month

2011-06-16T04:44:00Z

A rural worker who confronted illegal loggers operating in the Brazilian state of Pará was found murdered near his home, reports the Associated Press. Murdered on the Esperanca landless settlement, his death is likely related to ongoing conflicts between loggers and farmers in the Esperanca community. The victim, Obede Souza, is the fifth person to be murdered this month after standing up to illegal loggers.

Indonesia's anti-mafia unit seeks to reopen $115 billion illegal logging case

2011-06-08T18:30:00Z

Indonesia's Anti-Mafia Law Task Force asked authorities Tuesday to reopen an investigation into illegal logging that may have cost the Indonesian state $115 billion.

Indonesian president urges other countries not to buy illegally logged wood from Indonesia

2011-06-08T17:39:00Z

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono asked consuming countries to join the fight against illegal logging in Indonesia, reports the Jakarta Globe.

Government cracks down on illegal logging in Madagascar

2011-06-02T20:44:00Z

Authorities in Madagascar seized roughly a thousand logs during an ongoing operation in the northeastern part of the country, which has been besieged by illegal logging, reports l’Express de Madagascar. Seven people were arrested.

Peru to abolish uncontacted tribe's reserve, says group

2011-06-01T21:11:00Z

Territory inhabited by an uncontacted Amazon tribe in Peru is again up for grabs, claims Survival International.

Assassinations of environmentalists continue in Brazil's Amazon, deforestation rises

2011-05-28T20:26:00Z

A community leader in the Brazilian Amazon was slain Friday just three days after two environmentalists were killed in a neighboring state, reports Reuters. Adelino "Dinho" Ramos, the president of the Movimento Camponeses Corumbiara e da Associação dos Camponeses do Amazonas, a small farmers association, was gunned down front of his family Friday morning in Rondônia. Brazil's Special Secretariat for Human Rights, an office of the president, said it was unclear who killed Ramos, who had received death threats from loggers.

Green groups to Japan: don't buy illegally logged wood from Indonesia to aid reconstruction

2011-05-26T15:26:00Z

Following Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami, it needs to rebuild and do so the battered nation has already turned to a neighbor, Indonesia, for timber. However, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Indonesian NGO, Telapak, warn that much of the timber that reaches Japan's shores from Indonesia could be illegally logged from rainforests, unless Japan pledges to only purchase legally-certified wood under Indonesia's new assurance system.