Forests

Timber trafficking in the Andean-Amazon countries is endangering valuable tree species such as mahogany, cedar, shihuahuaco and cumaru, among others.

Timber trafficking causes forest degradation, loss of species of great importance for the proper functioning of the ecosystem and the provision of ecosystem services, distortion of the forest market, low competitiveness of the formal sector due to unfair competition, tax evasion and even compromises the socio-economic development of forest-dependent communities, among others.

The conditions that facilitate this problem are: weak capacity to regulate the actions of the forestry sector, low participation of subnational governments in the control and monitoring processes, insufficient incentive policies and promotion of legal timber, lack of information and commitment of civil society on the problem, indigenous communities with little knowledge of the dynamics of timber trafficking, lack of knowledge of the value of standing forests, change of land use from forest to other uses, among others.

In Ecuador, 21% of the establishments that process timber are illegal, that is, they operate without any type of permit and have no movement guide generated for them.

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In Colombia, the Ministry of Environment estimates that 47% of all timber sold in the country is illegal.

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In Peru, illegal logging accounts for 40 to 50 % of production and generates large economic losses.

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In Bolivia, 50% of the timber is illegal. Bolivia ranks 4th in the world and 2nd in Latin America in primary forest loss according to Global Forest Watch.