WASHINGTON, D.C. – A group of 16 environmental organizations are today calling on Japan to put in place stronger measures to stop the trade in illegal timber. Writing in an open letter to two Japanese trade associations, the group cites evidence that Japanese companies are importing timber from Samling Global, a company involved in illegal […]
NEW YORK — The United States’ prohibition on smuggling of illegally harvested wood has won silver in the 2011 Future Policy Awards as one of the world’s most inspiring and innovative forest policies. The three policies most effectively contributing to the conservation and sustainable development of forests for current and future generations were honored today […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Much of the media coverage regarding the latest enforcement action contains factual errors and misinformation about both the Lacey Act and the cases in question. Below, EIA has attempted to address some common questions in the wake of the 24 August action, from our own perspective as experts on illegal logging and […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On 24 August 2011, agents of the Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) raided Gibson Guitar facilities in Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee, seizing ebony and rosewood material, guitars and guitar parts as evidence of suspected violation(s) of the U.S. Lacey Act. The Lacey Act is a long-standing anti-trafficking statute which prohibits commerce of […]
BANGKOK – A new report released today (July 28, 2011) exposes the pivotal role played by the Vietnamese military in a multi-million dollar operation which is smuggling threatened timber over the border from the shrinking forests of neighbouring Laos. Laos has some of the Mekong region’s last intact tropical forests, but the London-based Environmental Investigation […]