Posted on October, 04 2010

Madagascar’s Eastern Moist Forest (Ala Atsinanana) hosts an incredible amount of unique species. Up to 90% of all species exist nowhere else on earth!

The Ala Atsinanana, however, is highly threatened and was recently placed by UNESCO on the World Heritage in Danger sites list because of the ongoing government-influenced illegal logging crisis and continuing lemur bush meat consumption.
 
How did this happen?

After the 2009 political crisis in Madagascar, several timber barons took advantage of the lack of environmental governance and law enforcement, to illegally fell precious logs (mainly rosewood and ebony) from within protected areas. The aim was to export it, mainly to China.

Exporting of raw precious wood is illegal according to Malagasy laws, but the government has repeatedly granted exceptions (January 29, 2009 and September 21, 2009) and therefore given cover to a rosewood mafia who deprives local people of their natural heritage.

These exceptions are illegal since there hasn’t been any stocking or logging permit issuance since 2002. Past exceptions caused severe depletion of the wood species, thus driving loggers inside protected areas where logging is not legally accepted.

What is worse, is that local communities who have few options in these poverty stricken areas. Local people are often exploited, working for ridiculously small amounts of money in terrible conditions - while the timber mafia has earned more than $250 Millions during the recent political crisis.

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