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Scramble to log Madagascar's valuable rainforest trees in midst of crisis

› Posted March 25, 2009, by Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com

Tropical Salvage's note: the below story describes a situation that is nearly identical to what happened in Indonesia about a decade ago. During the social/political unrest that followed the 1997 Asian financial crisis & the ouster of President Suharto, many of Indonesia's forests and government-owned teak plantations were illegally ransacked for their valuable trees, to the long-term detriment of that country's economy and natural ecosystems. The glut of tropical hardwood was subsequently sold in the international market at very low prices.

Armed gangs are logging rosewood and other valuable hardwoods from Marojejy and Masoala parks in Madagascar following abandonment of posts by rangers in the midst of the island nation's political crisis, reports marojejy.com and local sources.

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Rainforest in Masoala

Illegal logging of rosewood, ebonies, and other hardwoods has emerged as one of the primary drivers of forest degradation in northeastern Madagascar in recent years but, as noted by marojejy.com, the situation has been exacerbated by the political crisis that has led rangers and park officials in some areas to abandon their posts. Timber poachers and other interests are now moving aggressively into protected areas to take advantage of the opportunity according to a local source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

"Turmoil is going to last for months — no more rules, no more laws, no more police or control, just weapons and people starved for money or by greed," said the source. "2000 to 3000 people went to Masoala to harvest rosewood"....

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