While boasting an abundance of timber production in sought-after woods like mahogany and teak, Southeast Asia is also susceptible to illegal logging and deforestation. These harmful methods of harvesting timber hurt the environment, displace and kill animals, and often leave workers vulnerable to labor violations.
According to Interpol, illegal logging is pervasive across the globe:
• Illegal logging accounts for 50-90% of all forestry activities in key producer tropical forests, such as those of the Amazon Basin, Central Africa and Southeast Asia, and 15-30% of all wood traded globally. • Trade in illegally harvested timber is highly lucrative and estimated to be worth between $30 and $100 billion annually. • Improved enforcement of forest laws and increasing regulation of trade in wood products is helping reduce illegal logging, but it continues to undermine legal trade and much more needs to be done to halt it. • 40-61% of timber production in Indonesia is believed to stem from illegal logging.
While these problems persist, there is hope in sustainable investment. Just last month, industry leaders gathered in Vietnam at the Ho Chi Min City Products Week 2022. Tran Phu Lu, deputy director of HCM City Trade and Investment Promotion Centre, said businesses and governments should work together to ensure timber is being ethically sourced.
“Wood businesses need to ensure the legality of imported timber and pay attention to issues related to the safety and health of workers. It is vital for them to comply with timber laws at each stage, including harvesting, importing, purchasing, selling, transporting, processing, and exporting,” said Lu. “They need to expand co-operation with households allotted forests to tend to ensure a sustainable source of raw materials”
Currently, Vietnam is Southeast Asia’s number one exporter of wood and wooden products, making them the world’s sixth largest timber producer and encompassing more than 4 per cent global market share.
Experts say there is a gap to be bridged when it comes to illegal logging in Southeast Asia; just like palm oil and rubber, we need sustainable investment to ensure new business in the region respects and preserves the land that supports the local and global economy. Without sustainable investment, deforestation will continue to run rampant until this resource is depleted.
