The majority of illegal logging takes place in the tropical forest of the Amazon, Central Africa and Southeast Asia. Recent studies reveal that illegal logging accounts for as much as 50–90% of the total production from some of the key tropical forest countries.55 The US, EU, China and Japan receive over 80% of all illegally logged wood globally.56 The four most common forms of illegal trade of forest products are: illegal exploitation of high-valued wood species such as rosewood and mahogany; illegal logging of timber for sawn wood, building materials and furniture; illegal logging and laundering of wood through plantation and agricultural front companies to supply pulp for the paper industry; and utilization of the unregulated wood- fuel and charcoal trade to conceal illegal logging in and outside protected areas, and conduct tax evasion and fraud.57.

Year: 2015

From collection: State of the Rainforest

Cartographer: GRID-Arendal