Illegal logging
From Free net encyclopedia
Template:Cleanup-date Illegal logging is logging in national parks and other protected areas without government authorization, or where such authorization was obtained by bribery. Illegally logged timber is often transhipped through other countries to avoid checks and controls.
It is commonly assumed that illegal logging in poorer countries takes place in response to high demand for exotic woods in richer countries.
The term is sometimes used by environmentalists to describe logging operations that government agencies have authorized, on the grounds that the decision-making officials represent industry interests above all else. The tree species has often been misrepresented and the source incorrectly documented in the knowledge that it is usually very difficult for those in authority to successfully challenge and ascertain the facts.