Hard-fought battles that commenced years ago have come to a constructive and logical conclusion in the interests of sharks, manta rays and rosewoods. For Asian big cats, there was a good decision that will review of efforts to combat illegal trade and to end trade in parts and products of captive-bred tigers
The member countries of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) have agreed to list Siam Rosewood on Appendix II, granting international protection to this threatened species. This will help protect Siam Rosewood in range states and will serve as a legal tool to combat smuggling in China.
Gibson Guitars has finally faced the music. After nearly a year of crying fou, seeking audience with every possible media outlet and hiring a DC lobbying firm to change the law under which it was being investigated, Gibson Guitars has acknowledged that it did, in fact, import illegal wood in violation of the Lacey Act
Gibson Guitars’ long overdue acknowledgement of Lacey Act violations – made in a Criminal Enforcement Agreement with the Unites States Government – has landed the firm with US$600,000 of penalties for importing illegal wood, setting a clear benchmark for EU government’s implementation of the EU Timber Regulation
Prominent Cambodian environmental and human rights activist Chut Wutty was shot dead in Koh Kong province, in the south-west of the country, while documenting the illegal logging that is decimating forests across the Mekong
Precious Siamese rosewood has been illegally logged to the brink of extinction in the Mekong region to feed a voracious demand for luxury furniture in China which leaves a bloody trail of death, violence and corruption in its wake. This report exposes a multi-billion dollar industry fuelled by high level corruption