Organized crime trade responsible for deforestation
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E-mail China.org.cn, September 28, 2012
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Illegal logging now accounts for between 15 and 30 per cent of the overall trade globally. [Photo/UNEP] |
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and INTERPOL said in a report released on Thursday at the World Forest conference in Rome that up to 90% of logging in key tropical countries of the Amazon basin, Central Africa and South East Asia is being carried out by organized crime compromising efforts to combat climate change, deforestation, conserve wildlife and eradicate poverty.
The report entitled "Green Carbon: Black Trade" says that the illegal trade, worth between US$30-100 billion annually, hampers the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) initiative-one of the principal tools for catalyzing positive environmental change, sustainable development, job creation and reducing emissions.
With the increase in organized criminal activity, INTERPOL has also noted associated crimes such as murder, violence and atrocities against indigenous forest dwellers.
According to the report, criminal groups are combining old-fashioned tactics such as bribes with high-tech methods such as hacking government websites. Illegal operations are also becoming more sophisticated as loggers and dealers shift activities between regions and countries to avoid local and international policing efforts.
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