Illegal Logging and Trading of

Rosewood.

The situation in Madagascar

Bangkok

18. – 19 december 2014

Dr. Georg Jaster

AVG

Madagascar,

- a country of mega-biodiversity;- one of the poorest countries in the world;- very high degree of deforestation; time is running- high-scale illegal exploitation of natural resources like precious wood (rosewood),tortoises, reptiles, and also gold, semi-precious stones, etc.

2009: - Political crisis; power taken by force by a transition government, which was not recognized by most of the international community. - Export of 52.000 tons of precious wood coming from 100.000 rosewood and ebony trees in 2009;- Participation of transition government and of high state representatives in the rosewood traffic.

2009 - 2013: 2009 – 2011 unsteady legal framework. Since 2011 total legal ban on rosewood exportation by national laws, a specific jurisdiction is supposed to be created, but does not exist until now.

2012:World Bank lists Madagascar among the states, that practice the traffic of rosewood without any control nor attempts to hold the authors of the traffic legally responsible;

2013: During 16th CITES CoP in Bangkok: Inscription of all malagasy rosewood species (logs, sawn wood, veneers) on CITES annex II;

since June 2013: Export quota « 0 » for malagasy rosewood.

December 2013: presidential elections; end of the transition period.

2014:

The newly elected President of Madagascar declared, that from now on, the illegal rosewood traffic will no longer be tolerated. He declares to make the combat against illegal rosewood trading a major subject of his politics.

but: In 2014 authorities in Singapore have made the largest ever international seizure of rosewood logs (about 3,000 tons), giving evidence, that industrial scale smuggling of Madagascar rainforest timber continues, despite the official ban on the trade. Further seizures have been made in Kenya and Sri Lanka.

but: - A national steering commity that integratedcivil society and international institutions such as the world bank has been replaced by an interministerial commitee;- The action plan to protect rosewood submitted by the malagasy government to the CITES secretary has not been accepted and needs further improvements. - Actually no visible progress regarding law enforcement in Madagascar, due to institutional weakness;

what might be positive:

- The action plan is supposed to make a proposal, what to do with the huge stocks of seized malagasy rosewood in and outside of Madagascar. - The independent anti-corruption office “BIANCO” has changed its approach and regards environmental crime as a form of corruption related crime and starts investigation. - ONGs cooperate with forest authorities and local communities, to improve the surveillance of the protected areas. But personnel and equipment are totally unsufficient.

Conclusions:- Fighting the illegal rosewood trade in Madagascar makes it necessary, to attack some of the most powerful and wealthiest people on the island. - Because of this, international coopera-tion and support is crucial for the success. - The government has declared its will to stop the trade, so it should be taken and measured by its own declarations.

Recommendations:- raise awareness, that there is no legal malagasyrosewood exportation and that no permits can legally be issued by malagasy authorities right now;- exactly cross check any permits supposed to be issued by malagasy or by african authorities, these are often falsifications. - Close a Chinese-Malagasy agreement to enforce the ban and the control of the malagasyrosewood traffic.

Recommendations:- Create an Interpol “National Environmental Security Task Force – NEST” in Madagascar. - Adopt and enforce severe custom regulations on the import of rosewood logs in the consumer countries such as China, to make the traffic less attractive;