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News > Latin America

Almost 50% Of Panama's Timber is Logged Illegally

  • The global illegal timber trade could be worth as much as US$100 billion a year.

    The global illegal timber trade could be worth as much as US$100 billion a year. | Photo: Reuters

Published 26 May 2015
Opinion

Illegal loggers are ravaging Panama's south for exotic timber.

Illegal logging now accounts for close to half of Panama's timber industry, according to a grim report from the country's environmental ministry Monday.

Of the 110,000 cubic meters of timber logged by Panama annually, nearly 50,000 originates from illegal logging sites, according to the ministry.

Almost all the illegal timber comes from from Panama's southern province of Darien, where the ministry said criminal organizations are felling exotic trees for lucrative profits.

Poverty is largely to blame for the flourishing illegal logging trade, an official from the environmental ministry, Noel Trejos told Panama's La Prensa newspaper.

“Here in Darien there's a lot of poverty, and the easiest way to make money is by logging,” Trejos said.

“For each of these (illegal loggers), there's always a broker just waiting to buy,” the official said.

However, Trejos also conceded the government needs to do more to monitor and enforce logging permits.

Since the mid 1990s, Panama's government has been battling to reign in illegal logging. Environmental groups say vast swathes of Panama's natural heritage is at risk of deforestation, with loggers often targeting exotic trees most often found in national parks. Mahogany and Cocobolo are two of the most smuggled timbers in Panama. The latter is hardwood widely used in high priced gun grips, knives and luxury items like jewelry boxes and high end pens. Much of Panama's illegal timber is smuggled out of the country by criminal organizations, particularly to growing markets in Asia. According to Interpol, the global illegal timber trade could be worth as much as US$100 billion a year.

RELATED: Activists Use GPS Systems to Track Illegal Logging Operations in Brazil

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