Timber mafia

Timber mafia refers to organized crime in the field of illegal logging in timber.

Bhutan

Bhutan's forests have been exploited by the “timber mafia” from neighboring Assam. The phenomenon has increased in the last decade.

Brazil

Brazil has rampant illegal logging, with deforestation increasing in 2013. The mafia intimidate opponents, however they also have a veneer of legitimacy.

According to a study by the Imazon, close to 70 percent of logging in Pará was without State authorization.

Cambodia

Since 2003, a third of all forests in Cambodia have disappeared. The timber mafia wields huge power and have alleged links to government.

Congo

Congo is also a victim of the illegal timber trade.

India

Protected forest areas in parts of India – such as Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Jharkhand – are vulnerable to illegal logging by timber mafias that have coopted or intimidated forestry officials, local politicians, businesses and citizenry.Marcus Colchester and Christian Erni, ''Indigenous Peoples and Protected Areas in South and Southeast Asia: From Principles to Practice'', IWGIA, 1999, : "The Forest Department is perceived as corrupt, colluding with timber contractors (the timber mafia), and taking bribes from the communities in return."Ajay Singh Rawat, ''Forest Management in Kumaon Himalaya: Struggle of the Marginalised People'', Indus Publishing, 1999, : "within 5 years in the Western Circle, 13 forest officials have been murdered and 39 fatally wounded in their bid to prevent illicit timber trade ... Politicians are chary of getting on the wrong side of the timber mafia, which has proved to be extremely generous during election time." Non-state groups have joined the nexus in militancy-affected areas such as Kashmir.Ajay Singh Rawat, ''Man and Forests: The Khatta and Gujjar Settlements of Sub-Himalayan Tarai'', Indus Publishing, 1993, : "forest officials are scared to enter the thick forests unarmed and thus the timber mafia, allegedly patronized by the militants, deal freely in illegal timber trade." Clear-cutting is sometimes covered-up by conniving officials who report fictitious forest fires.H.C. Upadhyay, ''Status of Scheduled Tribes in India'', Anmol Publications Private Limited, 2004, : "The timber mafia in collusion with concerned forest officials are reported to resort to the so-called accidental forest fire to hide their illegal plundering."

Many studies indicate large losses of forest cover to indiscriminate logging by timber mafias, with over a million hectares in the environs of Chhotanagpur alone being illegally transferred by the forest department directly to industrial, mining and logging companies.Prem Xalxo, ''Complementarity of Human Life and Other Life Forms in Nature: A Study of Human Obligations Toward the Environment with Particular Reference to the Oraon Indigenous Community of Chotanagpur, India'', Editrice Pontificia Università Gregoriana, 2007, : "the unholy alliance between the timber mafia and forest officials is the major cause of deforestation. Although the Forest Conservation act of 1990 forbade the transfer of forest land without the permission of the Central Government of India, the control of over one million hectares of forest land was given to mining companies, industrial units and other private agencies between 1980 and 2006 by the Forest Department." Besides the environmental degradation, public financial losses can be substantial: One 1994 estimate of stolen timber in the state of Karnataka amounted to Rs. 10 billion (about US$230 million).''The Indian Journal of Public Administration'' v.40, Indian Institute of Public Administration, 1994: "In Karnataka, again, on account of evident collusion between politicians, officials and a mafia group, timber worth one thousand crore of rupees has been illegally procured from forests in recent months." Veerappan was a notorious bandit who, until his shooting death by state police in 2004, specialised in illegally logging sandalwood in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

As with coal, there have been incidents of substitution of low-grade wood for high-quality timber when the procurement of wood is authorised for government use. In an incident in 2005, officials determined that high-quality deodar wood meant for military and railway use had been substituted with lower-quality chir wood in Jammu and Kashmir state; the higher quality wood was intercepted in the process of being smuggled across the state border into Punjab.

Indonesia

The forests of Borneo have faced illegal logging which threatens livelihood and the ecosystem.

Romania

The forest industry in Romania is dominated by a “timber mafia” or a “forest mafia.” Half of all Romanian timber is illegally harvested. Those who cross the timber mafia or attempt to enforce Romania’s forest laws are targeted for retribution.

Corruption is a deep rooted issue in Romania that attracts foreign timber companies such as HS Timber which has been implicated in the illegal timber trade, leading Ikea to end sourcing from them. Romania is facing European Commission scrutiny for its failure to halt illegal logging, highlighting the critical situation.

References

{{Forestry

Mafia
Illegal logging
Organized crime in Indonesia
Forestry in Indonesia
Organized crime in Brazil
Forestry in Brazil
Organised crime in India
Forestry in India
Organized crime in Africa
Forestry in Africa
Forestry in Romania
Organized crime in Romania