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The illegal logging and
trading
of timber represents a serious problem for the forestry sector in
Central America. It is a complex phenomen, with several facets,
including that it:
(i) Causes enormous economic losses to the countries of the region
(ii) Erodes the formal mechanisms of government
(iii) Has a negative impact on the rural poor
(iv) Discourages sustainable forestry activities
(v) Damages the forest resources of the region
Although the knowledge of the causes, processes, and impacts of
this phenomenon is limited, everything indicates that increasing
numbers of trees are taken from forests outside existing regulations,
and that the wood is frequently 'laundered' in a process of legalising
illegal acts. There is often a mix of the legal and illegal in the
production chain. In this context, illegal logging (or unauthorized
forest use) is defined as timber production completed without authorisation
or without conforming to what was authorised. As such, it includes
clandestine production (which escapes all state control, pays no
tax, and is not included in official figures) as well as legalised
production (accompanied by certain documents and licenses, paying
appropriate taxes, and entering in the statistics – but which
has actually been produced fraudulently, without conforming to what
was authorized).
Certain policies have the potential to produce great impacts on
governance, poverty reduction, and conservation. However, specific
actions have not been expanded or consolidated. Finding alternatives
to reduce this phenomenon, is urgent. For this, wide cooperation
between government institutions and civil stakeholders (private
enterprise, NGOs, churches, etc) is required. This is also a problem
that cannot be confronted at a purely local and national level,
but requires a regional focus. Equally, to reach satisfactory levels
of effectiveness, greater cooperation between importing and exporting
countries is necessary.)
Logging Effects on Animals
Selective logging profoundly reduces the abundance of rare forest species according to surveys of logged and unlogged rainforests
on the island of Borneo, one of the most biodiverse parts of southeast Asia. The results, published in a trio of papers, have
implications for biodiversity and forest conservation efforts in one of the world's most threatened ecosystems.
Trapping hundreds of small mammals using locally made wire-mesh live traps equipped with a plastic roof for rain protection,
biologists led by Dr. Konstans Wells of the University of Ulm in Germany found that logging had a variable effect on forest
species. Common species seemed relatively unaffected by timber harvesting, with relatively consistent "patterns of dominance,
evenness and fluctuations in abundance." Rare species, however, were found to be "more vulnerable to forest degradation than
commonly caught species, resulting in the complete loss, or a decrease in numbers, of certain groups, such as arboreal small
mammals and Viverridae", carnivores in the mongoose family.
"Logging causes many times the disturbance one would expect in natural tropical rainforests and inevitably changes the composition
and functional role of cryptic small mammal assemblages, of which we know very little," Dr. Wells told mongbay.com via email.
"Although logged rainforests provides habitat for many common small mammal species, rare and more specialized species are
vulnerable to forest degradation and remain unrecorded even with intensive survey efforts."
"However, the story is more complex: differences in movement patterns and parasites of common species in logged forests show
us further that logging affects the living conditions in logged forest for a large range of species," he added. "This may
also have consequences for the maintenance of ecosystem services provided by small mammals."
Through their seed and seedling consumption, small mammals play an important role in forest ecology, at times enhancing or
suppressing forest regeneration after logging. As such, changes in the abundance of small mammals is thought to be a significant
determinant of overall forest health. Because much of Borneo's forests either have been logged or are expected to be logged
in the future, a better understanding of how small mammals are affected by timber harvesting can help conservation managers
better forecast the likelihood and rate of forest recovery. Further, if rare species fail to persist in logged forests then
special conservation efforts will be required to prevent their extinction.
"The role of rare species remains even more elusive, although the reduced species richness in our study clearly suggests that
some species are vulnerable to severe population reductions or extinction by logging-induced changes," wrote Wells and colleagues
in a Journal of Biogeography paper published in 2007. "The inconsistency in logging responses among species, and the large
habitat variability that is intrinsic to rain forests and that is further generated by various anthropogenic impacts, present
a challenge when selecting areas for conservation... Although logged rain forests might house large proportions of the small-mammal
assemblages found in undisturbed forests, some rare species will remain unprotected if unlogged forests are not conserved,
as these forests remain the major source of the region's immense species richness."
Social effects of deforestation
Deforestation is hardly hitting the living conditions of indigenous people who consider forests as their primary habitats.
Imagine how they are rendered homeless when forests are depleted. These natives would be forced to live elsewhere, and are
usually left to becoming mendicants in rural and urban areas.
Overall, effects of deforestation cannot be offset by the contribution of the practice to development. While it is logical
that progress is very much needed by mankind, it must also be noted that nature knows no defeat. Destruct it and it would
certainly retaliate, one way or another.
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