A shipment of more than 500 tonnes of hardwood illegally felled in protected rainforests has been impounded by Madagascan police.
Three hundred and sixty tonnes of rosewood and 160 tonnes of ebony were intercepted at two ports after a tip-off from local authorities who found evidence of illegal logging in two protected areas of tropical rainforest.
Frank Hawkins, head of Conservation International in Madagascar, said illegal export of the country’s hardwood was widespread, driven partly by demand from China which, he maintained, was one of the big players in the market for illegal tropical timber.
