ISSUE 2: ILLEGAL LOGGING BRIEFING PAPER
Available in Chinese only
By Chinese translation by X. Sun of a briefing paper by D. Brack - Chatham House UK View PublicationIllegal logging and the international trade in illegally logged timber is a major problem for many timber-producing countries in the developing world. It causes environmental damage, costs governments billions of dollars in lost revenue, promotes corruption, undermines the rule of law and good governance and funds armed conflict. It retards sustainable development in some of the poorest countries of the world. Consumer countries contribute to these problems by importing timber and wood products without ensuring that they are legally sourced. In recent years, however, producer and consumer countries alike have paid increasing attention to illegal logging, with many of their activities being triggered by the G8 Action Programme on Forests of 1998–2002. Whether these activities will be enough to control illegal activities and stem the trade in illegal timber and timber products, however, remains to be seen.