Kenya - The rising demand for timber in Kenyas coastal towns has driven merchants turning to mango and coconut trees.
The timber dealers have descended on indigenous trees on the Coast to fill orders for charcoal burning, carving, construction of boats and new buildings.
In the mad rush for timber, protected areas like the mangrove forests have not been spared, while charcoal burners and woodcarvers occasionally invade the Tsavo for wood... [Continue]
Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) seized six heavy-duty Stihl chain saws and 6,872 board feet of lumber and flitches during a string of anti-illegal logging operations in Infanta, Quezon, and Tanay, Rizal, early this month.
DENR Secretary Lito Atienza, who presented the seized chainsaws to the media at the DENR grounds in Quezon City, said the confiscation of the chainsaws bolstered their suspicion that illegal logging is on the rise with the onset of the summer season in the two provinces... [Continue]
Regenwald- und Klimaschutz sind ganz oben in der Hitliste der sich besorgt gebenden Politiker in Berlin und Brüssel. Wenn es allerdings drauf ankommt, im politischen Tagesgeschäft Maßnahmen gegen die fortschreitende Waldzerstörung zu ergreifen, versteckt sich ein jeder hinter der Zuständigkeit der anderen.
Man könnte fast drüber schmunzeln darüber, wie sich die Behördenapparate in den politischen Schaltzentralen gegenseitig, wie REPORT MAINZ zum Thema Gartenmöbelhandel dokumentiert hat, in demütiger Höflichkeit nicht in die Quere kommen wollen, wenn der Skandal mit dem Handel von Raubbauholz nicht schon seit über zehn Jahren von Umweltorganisationen immer wieder thematisiert worden wären und die Auswirkungen sich nicht so tief in die Wälder weltweit gegraben hätten... [Continue]
Washington DC, USA ' Importers of wood products may want to keep an eye on newly passed regulations in last months farm bill. New amendments added to the Lacey Act aim to cut down on illegal logging.
Depending on how strongly the new provisions are enforced, the law could have implications for the furniture industrys supply chain.
The legislation creates a requirement for importers to declare the species and country of origin of any plant or plant product, including wood... [Continue]
Taking a step into the tropical peat swamp of Central Kalimantan can be a dangerous affair. A firm surface is never guaranteed, and losing your boots in the quicksand-like mud is inevitable -- but the least of your concerns.
There are snakes, spiders and a particularly nasty variety of ant that proved itself talented at getting into one's pants for a salutary welcome bite... [Continue]
Vietnamese furniture exporters, who are struggling to source legally logged timber, learnt about some common international laws on the issue at a seminar yesterday.
The half-day event, jointly organised by the HCM City Handicrafts and Wood Industry Association (Hawa) and Swiss-based certifier SGS group, addressed furniture exporters' concerns about the legality and traceability of timber, which have increasingly been demanded by European and American clients... [Continue]
Fish and timber are natural resources often not managed in a sustainable way in West Africa due to inadequate EU policies, says a report adopted by the European Parliament. The own initiative report adopted with 559 votes in favour 11 against and 17 abstentions is part of a periodic review of EU policies.
The report draws on the role of the EP Committee on Development to assess how EU policies affect development in a new power granted by the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) that entered into in force December 2006... [Continue]
