NGO: lifting sanctions on Myanmar must lead to forestry reform

[Zomi for Federalization and Democratization of Burma]

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Congratulations! The Brutal Bamar Buddhist Fascists have been
successful in ruining the forests of Burma. Forests are needed for
good weather. Illegal and mass logging has done great harm to trees
and forests. The greedy, uneducated Brutal Bamar Buddhist Fascists
know only how to destroy but do not know how to plant.
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NGO: lifting sanctions on Myanmar must lead to forestry reform

Jeremy Hance
mongabay.com
April 26, 2012

Following historic elections, many foreign powers have relaxed or
lifted sanctions against Myanmar, also known as Burma. But the
Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) warns that the end of
sanctions presents Myanmar and the world with a choice: further
plundering of the country's forests for outside markets or large-scale
forestry reform.

"After half a century of corruption and rule by the military and their
business associates, Burma simply has no credible infrastructure
through which we can verify the legality and sustainability of its
timber exports," explains EIA Head of Forests Faith Doherty in a press
release. "What this historic moment does represent, however, is a
unique opportunity to establish a role for civil society in Burma. It
must be part of any reform that creates the very infrastructure needed
to ensure the invaluable resources of the country’s forests are not
squandered for the financial gain of a few."

Logging, often illegal, has already plundered much of Myanmar's
forests. Between 1990 and 2005 the country lost 18 percent of its
total forests to logging, agriculture, and fuel wood collection,
giving it one of the world's highest deforestation records. Currently,
less than one percent of Myanmar is under protection.

Raw logs from Myanmar are usually exported to China. The raw wood is
then crafted into finished products, which are finally traded to
Europe and the U.S. for cheap consumption. According to another NGO,
Global Witness, up to half of the wood imported into China is illegal.

"Illegal logging and destructive forest conversion are hand-in-hand
with corruption, crime, cronyism and a multitude of other societal
ills suffered by the people of Burma for so long," says Doherty.
Logging has also raised conflict between local ethnic groups and the
Myanmar government, an issue that the EIA says could lead to
government instability at this crucial time.

"There are no safeguards at all in place in Burma. Its forests are in
crisis, as are the people who rely on them for their livelihoods and
as a life-sustaining resource," says Doherty. "Burma needs help, and
addressing the timber trade without acknowledging the serious
governance challenges that come with it would be a massive opportunity
lost."

According to the World Bank, a football field-sized forest is lost
every two seconds to illegal logging.

Read more: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0426-hance_myanmar_sanctions.html#ixzz1tB1675mC


http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0426-hance_myanmar_sanctions.html

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