Madagascar owns one of the world’s richest biodiversity hotspots. In some of the country’s protected areas, organized groups engaged in illegal logging have been felling ‘valuable rosewood trees and extracting other resources’ mostly from the Marojejy National Park and Masoala National Park.

To prove that illegal logging, a major cause of deforestation of the world’s rainforests, and illegal timber trade are globally recognized crimes, ‘the United States and European Union are putting in place new strict laws and regulations to stop the importation of illegally harvested and traded wood products.’

The international community and conservation groups in Madagascar have issued a joint statement calling for action against the dramatic increase in illegal logging on the island.’ Signatories of the joint statement include the embassies of France, Germany, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, USA, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), KfW Entwicklungsbank, US Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Worldwide Fund for Nature. By all indication, the campaign to combat the proliferation of illegal logging in Madagascar seems to be a serious international movement.

Madagascar has been committed to a ‘transparent wood control system that documents the legality of harvesting and sales’ as part of the country’s general commitment to protect its valuable and unique biodiversity. However, criminal groups continue to undertake the illegal harvesting of timber.

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Via WWF