Reuters reports on a report by the WWF which says China’s timber imports are threatening the world’s forests:
China’s soaring demand for timber, driven by its rapid economic expansion, is a major threat to the world’s forests as illegal loggers make fortunes supplying the mainland, conservation group WWF said on Tuesday.
China’s timber imports have increased dramatically over the past 10 years after the government banned logging following the devastating flooding of the Yangtze river in 1998, leading to a significant drop in domestic wood production.
For more on the 1998 floods and subsequent logging ban, see here.
Meanwhile, the Guardian asks, “How is it… that the Chinese government can pass some of the most beautiful laws in the world yet end up with one of the ugliest environments?” The full story is here.
