Wikileaks reveals endangered hardwood on sale in US

[Judi Lynn]

Wikileaks reveals endangered hardwood on sale in US
16:25 08 March 2011
by Catherine de Lange

Illegal exports of Peruvian hardwood have been hitting the shelves in the US. Last week, Wikileaks released the text of a cable sent in 2006 by the then US ambassador to Peru. It transpires that the Peruvian government knew that an estimated 70 to 90 per cent of the mahogany Peru exported in 2005 came from illegal sources. Most of the wood was destined for the US and exported with the aid of falsified documents and bribery.

Illegal logging remains a problem, says Rebecca Spooner from the charity Survival International, which is urging Peru to ensure all hardwood it exports is properly certified. "Corruption is taking place on a local level. It's too easy for people to falsify documents."

Until the Peruvian government is able to guarantee that the documentation for its hardwood is sound, importers should avoid purchasing it altogether, she says.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20224-perus-illegal-wood-exports-on-sale-in-us.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

[glinda]

1. Why don't they try the novel idea of arresting people?

[hootinholler]

2. Which they?

The US? The wood carries the same certs that properly harvested wood carries? The Peruvians? Well, there's the whole corruption thingy happening there. Depending on how far up it goes, they might be able to do something.

As a woodworker, mahogany is terrific to work and looks great, that's why it is prized.

-Hoot