Political economic networks often provide forceful drivers for small-scale illegal logging and timber trade. Many of these networks bring together not only powerful actors from the private sector but als government officials, including the very officials responsible for enforcing logging bans, harvest regulations, and restrictions on timber trade.

China is probably the largest importer of wood products with illegal origin. Other primary importers of illegal logs or wood products are Japan, the EU and the US.

Illegal logging takes place in many forms, from illegal logging in protected areas or large-scale illegal logging without permits in remote areas, conflict zones and border areas, to adavanced laundering operations mixing legal with illegal logs through bribery, re-definition of forest classification, forged permits, exceeding legal concessions and clearing or laundering through plantations, biofuel production and ranching establishments.

There are many different causes of illegal logging. This model illustrates the causes of illegal logging in Indonesia.

Illegal logging directly fuels many conflicts as timber is a resource available for conflict profiteers or to finance arms sales. Without public order, militants, guerillas or military units impose taxes on logging companies or charcoal producers, issue false export permits and control border points. They frequently demand the removal of all vehicle check points and public patrolling of resource-rich areas as part of the peace conditions followin...

Many protected areas are home to an abundance of rare wood species in high demand for panels, floors and furniture. They may also hold some of the last remaining concentrations of high density wood for charcoal.

The importance of the world's forests to global efforts to reduce carbon emissions cannot be underestimated. While living forests are vital to reducing carbon levels in our atmosphere, deforestation accounts for an estimated 17 per cent of global carbon emissions - around 1.5 times greater than those from all the world's air, road, rail and shipping traffic combined.

In the case of forest cover change, the studies refer to the period 1980–2000 and are based on national statistics, remote sensing, and to a limited degree expert opinion. In the case of land cover change resulting from degradation in drylands (desertification), the period is unspecified but inferred to be within the last half-century, and the major study was entirely based on expert opinion, with associated low certainty.

Gains and losses in forest area vary globally, and the impact divers greatly between the various crops used for biofuels. Forest-cover is enhanced through aorestation or by natural expansion, and reduced either by deforestation or natural disasters which may prevent forest from naturally regenerating itself. Forest degeneration is often caused by overexploitation of forest areas by humans, pests, disease or recurrent forest fires. Generally,...

Recently Uganda has outlined its national strategy for bioenergy to contribute to increasing the renewable energy mix from 4 to 16 percent by 2017. Alongside the energy challenge, the country faces a number of other difficult tasks including loss of ecosystems and systemic low rural employment. Ugandan officials have pointed out that in addition to serving as a new source of renewable energy, growing crops for bioenergy can help tackle unemploy...

Converting land for biofuel production can cause biodiversity impacts in the short-term, but such conversion also aects the future resilience of natural ecosystems. In an extreme case, complete deforestation reduces the ability of forestland to regenerate and absorb carbon in the future.

Deforestation in the MAB, Guatemala case study

Graphics from the year 2000 Baltic 21 biannual indicator-based status report on sustainable development in the Baltic Sea Region (Baltic 21 Series No 1/2000). The graphic shows the percentage of trees showing serious defoliation to be declining.

Graphics from the year 2000 Baltic 21 biannual indicator-based status report on sustainable development in the Baltic Sea Region (Baltic 21 Series No 1/2000). The graphic shows percentage of mixed forest stands in Baltic countries.

Graphics from the year 2000 Baltic 21 biannual indicator-based status report on sustainable development in the Baltic Sea Region (Baltic 21 Series No 1/2000). The graphic shows the annual average change in forest growing stock in Baltic Countries.

Fennoscandia covers the northern region of scandinavia and the western part of the Barents region. The diferent types of forest covering and the political boundaries that are considered protected areas are shown on the map.

Air pollution has had an enormous impact of the forest in the Barents region. SPecifically there is alot of damage in Russia near the borders of Norway and Finland. The diagram shows areas of 'forest death' and the subsequent areas of varying levels of forest damage.

The Barents region is in the Arctic and covers the area of Western Russia and the northern areas of Finland, Sweden and Norway. This shows all the main ecozones of the region and their geographical coverage.

Multiple stresses make most of Africa highly vulnerable to environmental changes, and climate change is likely to increase this vulnerability. This graphic shows which of the regions of Africa (North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean Islands) are most vulnerable to specific impacts of climate change. These impacts include desertification, sea level rise, reduced freshwater availability,...