Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
Try GOLD - Free
Illegal timber trade links to US, Europe
Cape Argus
|April 04, 2025
ALMOST 2 000 container ships carrying illegally harvested timber from the Brazilian Amazonian state that will host this year’s UN climate summit has reached Europe and the US in recent years, showed an investigative report by an environmental NGO.
-
The report released yesterday by London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), featured satellite imagery, records and interviews with industry sources to trace about 53 000 cubic meters of timber to four sites in the state of Para that had been sanctioned, were under embargo or had other irregularities such as illegal gold mining.
Para capital Belem will host the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference or COP30 – from November 10-21.
“The findings suggest a pervasive culture where corrupt deals and the manipulation of legal frameworks are widespread,” the EIA, founded in 1984, said in the report, Wrongdoing or negligence was rife.
“At nearly every step of the supply chain, from permitting to harvesting to exporting, it said.
Laws in the US, Europe and Brazil to stem illegal logging have existed for decades, but the many loopholes that allow the illicit industry to thrive underscores the difficulty of policing a complex forest.
This story is from the April 04, 2025 edition of Cape Argus.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM Cape Argus
Cape Argus
Working class paying the price for Trump’s failing leadership
WHAT is becoming abundantly clear is that Trump’s plan to rule the world is failing miserably as he bumbles from one crisis to another, starting with the mess in his own backyard as working-class Americans who make up 80% of the population yet hold only 20% of the wealth, battle to put food on their tables or pay their bills.
1 min
November 25, 2025
Cape Argus
The quiet inevitability of Arteta’s Arsenal
THERE’ a particular moment when a football team stops being exciting and starts being inevitable - and Arsenal may be approaching that moment.
3 mins
November 25, 2025
Cape Argus
EU, Africa leaders to talk trade and minerals, as Ukraine looms large
EUROPEAN and African leaders were to gather in Angola yesterday for a summit aimed at deepening economic and security ties that will serve as a backdrop to emergency talks on Ukraine.
2 mins
November 25, 2025
Cape Argus
Springboks back depth against Wales
IT’S undoubtedly a blow to be without several frontline stars for this weekend’s final Test of the 2025 season, but the Springboks have grown used to constant team changes over the past year — and they should still approach Saturday’s clash against Wales with minimal disruption.
2 mins
November 25, 2025
Cape Argus
Stormers ready to tackle Munster without Bok stars
THE Stormers will wait on a directive from the Springboks to see which of their players will be available for a crucial top-of-the-table clash with Munster in the United Rugby Championship (URC) this weekend.
2 mins
November 25, 2025
Cape Argus
Table Mountain safety upgraded
TABLE Mountain National Park (TMNP) is heading into its busiest season with more visitors, more rangers and strengthened firefighting capacity - as public pressure mounts over long-running safety and maintenance concerns.
2 mins
November 25, 2025
Cape Argus
Pope heads to Turkiye, Lebanon in first overseas trip
POPE Leo XIV embarks on his debut overseas trip Thursday, travelling to Turkiye and Lebanon to promote Christian unity and urge peace efforts amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.
1 mins
November 25, 2025
Cape Argus
Focus shifts back to league revival for Stellies FC
STELLENBOSCH FC made a promising start to their CAF Confederation Cup Group C campaign with a crucial 1-0 victory over Congolese rivals AS Otoho at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Sunday.
2 mins
November 25, 2025
Cape Argus
Zille intervenes in George, Steenhuisen credit card row
CHAIRPERSON of the DA's Federal Executive, Helen Zille, has reprimanded party members for publicly discussing their grievances with the media in an apparent response to the fallout from DA leader John Steenhuisen asking President Cyril Ramaphosa to axe Dion George as Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE).
1 mins
November 25, 2025
Cape Argus
Safety of Colorado bridge a concern, despite upgrades
RESIDENTS of Colorado Park are frustrated about the recent Colorado Bridge Project, having long raised concerns that the bridge has facilitated crime in the area.
2 mins
November 25, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size