American Demand for Furniture Causing Increase in Illegal Logging in Laos
Coutesy: Mongabay.comIt’s only natural that people would want to buy nice furniture for their homes.
Unfortunately, it’s this natural desire for furniture on the part of Americans that authorities say is driving illegal logging halfway around the world.
According to the Environmental Investigation Agency, more and more furniture is being made from timber illegally cut down in Laos and then shipped to Vietnam for fabrication.
According to the agency, although Laos has strict laws to prevent illegal logging, corrupt local officials look the other way. The big losers in all this are the Laotian people, who depend on their forests to earn a living.
For more information, read this Mongabay.com story.
Eco-Crime | tagged
Environmental Investigation Agency,
Illegal logging,
Laos,
Mongabay.com,
Vietnam,
corruption,
furniture 



