Sounds a little similar to the situation with the conifer alerce in Chile.
On Jul 25, 6:07 pm, "Edward Frank" <[email protected]> wrote: > HONDURAS: Greasing Palms to Plunder Forests > By Jim Lobe, http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=30876 > > WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (IPS) - Illegal logging by corrupt interests tied to major > political figures is devastating the rapidly disappearing pine and mahogany > forests of Honduras, particularly in northeastern Olancho province, according > to a major report released here Thursday by the Environmental Investigation > Agency (EIA) and the Centre for International Policy (CIP). > > The report is based on a series of trips to Honduras over the past year in > which EIA investigators posed as investors or buyers of illegally logged > timber. It identifies the major companies involved, foremost among them Jose > Lamas S. de R.L., a major supplier of pine products to the U.S. > home-furnishing giant, Home Depot. > > At the current logging rate, mahogany in Honduras may become all but extinct > within 10 to 15 years, according to the 45-page report, which added that > illegal operations now threaten the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO > World Heritage site. > > Meanwhile, the Honduran government, which has failed to provide adequate > funds to enforce logging laws, is losing as much as 18 million dollars a year > in lost stumpage fees and other forest-based revenue, according to the > report, "The Illegal Logging Crisis in Honduras". --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
