A new report by the WWF charity has found that 25% of all wood imported into the European Union came from illegal sources, with the UK being the second largest importer. The EU imported nearly 31 million cubic metres of illegal wood and related products, with the UK imported over 3.5 million cubic metres alone. The UK also imported the biggest quantity of furniture and plywood of all the EU states.
The UK’s illegally imported timber is equal to the total amount of wood harvested in Poland in the entire year. With most of the illegal timber coming from Russia, Indonesia and China, the WWF are pushing for stronger European laws to prevent illegal wood entering the EU market.
Manager of the Forest and Trade Network at WWF, Julia Young, said –
‘Illegal logging reduces the protective function of forests which frequently increases the risk of natural disasters such as floods and landslides and leads to deforestation, one of the main causes for climate change.’
Voluntary agreements have been drawn up between exporting and importing countries to tackle the trade, though the ineffectiveness of the existing scheme, the EU Forest and Law Enforcement, is obvious.
The main trader of illegal wood is Russia, with 10 million cubic metres transferred across many EU countries. Almost half of this wood arrives onto the European market through Finland, where it is processed into pulp and paper and then exported.
The WWF urges new EU laws to be put in place to guarantee that only legal wood is sold on the European market. All traders should have to prove the origin and legality of wood, with penalties introduced for any law violation. This trade must be stopped now to safeguard the future of the planet.
