Myanmar’s ancient and biodiverse forests are once again under threat. A new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency has found that millions of dollars’ worth of trees are illegally chopped down every year and then trucked across the border into neighboring China.
This illegal trade has been around for decades but had slowed for several years. Now it is surging again, according to EIA.
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Julian Newman, EIA campaigns director, said one reason for the increase in illegal activity is demand for two species of trees called rosewood, which is carved into intricate and expensive traditional Chinese furniture called hongmu. China’s wealthy buy hongmu furniture as status symbols, and EIA investigators expressed fears that the two rosewood species are at risk of extinction in as little as three years. From: www.takepart.com
GR: Regulations that aren’t, or can’t be, enforced are useless. Forests are under threat from climate-change, logging, livestock grazing, and poaching. It’s time for solid protection programs.
