Forest-related crimes are those criminal or illegal activities centered around forests that exploit forest resources and are aimed at acquiring illegitimate financial gain, where environmental and livelihood interests are often compromised in the vicious act. Illegal logging and illicit timber trafficking are the gravest and flourishing forestry crimes all around the world. Forestry crimes are not limited to unlawful logging and the timber trade but also encompass the illegal clearing of forest land for cultivation and illegal extraction of other non-wood forest products that have revenue-generating potential. It is estimated that nearly 30 percent of the global timber harvest is illegal. Smuggling expensive forest woods like redwood, rosewood, sandalwood, etc. is the major crime related to forests.
The illegal timber trade is an organized crime often run by criminal syndicates. These clandestine trades are usually operated by a network of traders, corrupt government authorities and politicians who form a nexus, which facilitates the illegal loggers a free route for unauthorized trade. Recent investigation reports state that the number of forest related crimes are on the rise and have inched up in recent years. The form of these syndicates also got transformed over the years and in due course, they have expanded their operational market.
From the syndicate’s earlier form of being a local or national smuggling network, many have now reached the stature of a transnational organized criminal gang. Trade of expensive woods is a highly lucrative business. The illicit trade of expensive timbers in the international market is billion dollars worth of business.
Cutting down trees for wood trafficking and clearing forest land for illegal cultivation resulting in deforestation paves the way to many far-reaching environmental impacts. Deforestation, ultimately, over the years leads to habitat loss, species loss, a decline in biodiversity, decrease in soil fertility, and abrupt changes in climate leading to many natural calamities like landslides, drought and floods. The unlimited exploitation of forest resources results in the deterioration of the ecosystem and thereby causing a disruption in the ecological balance. These adverse effects are not limited to the environmental scenario but during the whole time, the criminal activities in forests also threaten the livelihood of the communities who depend on forest resources for their survival. The governments also have to suffer the loss from economic contributions the expensive trees and other forest resources that otherwise could have added to the national income.
Activities that exploit forests and forest resources are prohibited by forest protection rules and regulations in many countries. It is a really terrifying fact that despite having stringent laws ensuring forest protection, forestry crimes are still alarmingly on the rise. Government policies and laws are supposed to prevent or the least control such crimes but if the crimes are still perpetuating, then it implies that there is either some shortcomings in the law or there is a failure with the law enforcement system. In some countries, the punishments warranted by law are too lenient that many of the smugglers can escape imprisonment by paying a penalty amount and even if they receive any imprisonment, it will only be of short term. Non-compliance with the forest laws by illegal timber traders is due to the inefficiency in the enactment of the law. The nefarious activities of the criminal gangs operating in forests many a time go uncaught and unpunished because of their mutual cooperation with the authorities, who are employed to enforce the forest protection acts and thereby safeguard the forest sector. Timber traffickers often take advantage of the corruption in the system to promote illicit timber laundering. Illegal logging and timber laundering often happen in countries where there is weak governance and an inefficient law enforcement system involving corrupt officials.
On a global scale, an ever increasing consumer demand for products made of expensive wood is the driving force for the illegal unsustainable utilization of forest resources. The wealth accumulated from the illegal timber trade is sometimes channeled to fund other notorious activities like drug trafficking, creating internal conflicts in a country, terrorism and the like. In conclusion, forest crimes have many unnoticed consequences other than their apparent impacts on environmental stability and livelihood.