Illegal Logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of national laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission or from a protected area; the cutting of protected species; or the extraction of timber in excess of agreed limits.
Illegalities may also occur during transport, such as illegal processing and export; fraudulent declaration to customs; and the avoidance of taxes and other charges. Much destructive logging is however legal and that legal and illegal logging are often linked. Therefore addressing only illegally sourced timber is not sufficient. It is thought that logging is a growing concern to the growth of the rainforet's inhabitants. Many animals that live in the canopy of the rainforest will become extinct or endangered because of this illegal logging.
Illegal logging is a pervasive problem, causing enormous damage to forests, to local communities and to the economies of producer countries. And since the EU is one of the largest importers of timber and forest products, the consumption of the member states continues to fuel illegal logging and related criminal activities.
Some estimates suggest that the illegal timber trade may comprise over a tenth of the total global timber trade.
Although exact figures are difficult to obtain, given the illegal nature of the activity, reliable estimates indicate that more than half of all logging activities in particularly vulnerable regions the Amazon Basin, Central Africa, Southeast Asia, the Russian Federation and some of the Baltic states is illegal.
Illegal logging contributes to deforestation, causes loss of biodiversity and undermines the rule of law. These illegal activities undermine responsible forest management, encourage corruption and reduce the income of the producer countries, further limiting the resources producer countries can invest in sustainable development.
Illegal logging has serious economic and social implications for the poor and disadvantaged. Furthermore, the illegal trade of forest resources undermines international security, and is frequently associated with corruption, money laundering, organised crime, human rights abuses and, in some cases, violent conflict.
In the forestry sector, cheap imports of illegal timber and forest products, together with the non-compliance of some economic players with basic social and environmental standards, destabilise international markets. This unfair competition affects those companies, especially the small and medium sized companies that are behaving responsibly and ready to play by fair rules.
Paralumun New Age Village