A 2012 report by UNEP and INTERPOL spotlights the increasingly sophisticated tactics deployed in the illegal laundering of timber.
“Illegal logging is not on the decline, rather it is becoming more advanced as cartels become better organised including shifting their illegal activities in order to avoid national or local police efforts. By some estimates, 15 per cent to 30 per cent of the volume of wood traded globally has been obtained illegally.”
“Primary methods include falsification of logging permits, bribes to obtain logging permits (in some instances noted as US$20–50,000 per permit), logging beyond concessions, hacking government websites to obtain transport permits for higher volumes or transport, laundering illegal timber by establishing roads, ranches, palm oil or forest plantations and mixing with legal timber during transport or in mills.”
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Article by: Unite dNations Environment Programme