Illegal timber harvesting, far from being victimless, is fueling conflict and intensifying climate change, investigations group says
BANGKOK (AlertNet) – Crimes against the environment are increasingly prevalent across Asia Pacific, fuelling conflict, intensifying climate change and exacerbating the threat of natural disasters, yet enforcement is lacking due to a perception that there are no victims to such crimes, an environmental activist said Wednesday.
Illegal logging and fishing, dumping of hazardous waste, wildlife trafficking and smuggling of chemicals that deplete the ozone layer are rampant in the region, said Julian Newman, campaigns director of London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), at a panel discussion in Bangkok.
“Environmental crime is a growing threat to the planet, particularly in Asia. It produces revenues of billions of dollars to criminal groups, yet to date the enforcement against these crimes has been lacking,” Newman said.
Even when seizures of illegally harvested timber or ivory occur, there is often no follow-up, no prosecution and no attempt to break up the networks behind the crimes, he said.
$15 BILLION A YEAR LOST
According to Newman, illegal logging costs developing countries $15 billion a year in lost revenue. It also “exacerbates climate change, impacts the livelihoods of rural communities and undermines ecological security (resulting in) things like flooding.”
“These are all very serious issues and they’re not victim-less. To a degree we’re all victims of these crimes,” he added.
According to EIA, Indonesia had an illegal logging rate of 80 percent in the 1990s, meaning four out of five trees cut were cut illegally. After the government started taking steps to combat the flow of illegal timber in 2005, the rate reduced to about 40 percent, a still-significant but much-improved number.
“By reducing the illegal logging rate in Indonesia, they’ve saved an equivalent of 15 million hectares of forest and prevented emissions of a billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent,” he said.
CO2, or carbon dioxide, is one of the primary greenhouse gases whose growing emissions are blamed for global warming. Scientists say the world needs to reduce current global emissions to avoid dangerous climate change, including impacts like more extreme weather and rising sea level.
While progress in Indonesia should be lauded, the country’s track record in prosecuting people behind such massive environmental crime has been “woeful,” Newman said.
He said of the 12 top businessmen engaged in illegal logging and identified by the Indonesian government in 2000, none have been arrested or charged.
“EIA believes environmental crimes are serious threats... yet to date, it’s been a very, very low risk for these criminals for a very, very lucrative (payout),” he added.
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