Abstract (107 words)
Nearly 40 years after illegal-logging first drew global attention, the world’s first law specifically to combat illegal-logging was introduced in December last year (The new legislation is commonly known as The Lacey Act Amendments. See http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/hot_issues/lacey_act/index.shtml for a summary). Although difficult to enforce, this law is encouraging the development of exciting new environmental business ideas to protect our world.
In Singapore, Double Helix Tracking Technologies is building the world’s first bio-geographic tree database with support from the Singapore Government. It will soon be possible to extract DNA from a wooden table and identify its true geographic origin. Introducing such transparency to the timber supply chain will enable the industry to improve its sourcing practices and secure a sustainable future for the world’s forests.
Full Story (504 words)
The World Bank estimates the value of the global illegal timber trade at over $10 billion per year (World Bank (2006)). The out-dated, low-tech nature of the timber supply-chain conceals wide-spread practices of illegal-logging, log smuggling and log laundering. Timber harvested from remote forests in Asia, Russia, South America and Africa is dragged, floated, trucked and shipped huge distances – it’s only claim to origin being a paper-trial of harvesting and transport documentation that is largely subject to fraud.
Illegal-logging is of such profitability that the criminal organisations in control of this multi-billion dollar black market can be compared to the drug cartels of South America. Just one tree is worth up to US$2,000 on the black market; the equivalent of 20 grams of cocaine in the United States (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2009: Cocaine USA average street price in US$, 2004-2008. 20 grams would convert to approximately 400 doses). Unlike the drug trade however, there’s hardly any risk for those controlling illegal-logging operations. Between 2006 and 2008, out of nearly 600 illegal-logging cases brought to court in Indonesia, only 2 people were given significant jail terms (Indonesian Ministry of Forestry), and even those were relatively low level operators.
Governments are only now starting to introduce laws to tackle the problem. In December 2008, the United States took the unprecedented step of making the trade in illegal timber actually illegal. (“The Lacey Act (16 U.S.C 3371 et seq.) as amended makes it unlawful to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce any plant, with some limited exceptions, taken or traded in violation of the laws of the United States, a U.S. State, or a foreign country.” http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/plant_health/content/printable_version/fs_laceyact.pdf). The European Union is due to debate similar legislation later this year.
In practice, the U.S. law requires importers to declare of the country of origin of imported wood products. However, without a reliable industry-accepted solution to verify these declarations, it is unlikely that the new law will have any real teeth. The fact is that there is very little anyone can do to accurately verify the origin of wood and provide irrefutable evidence of wrong-doing.
This immediate concern aside, legislation does provide the conditions for new solutions and business ideas to be developed. In a move widely supported by major timber firms, Greenpeace and the WWF, a Singapore-based company called Double Helix Tracking Technologies (www.doublehelixtracking.net) is establishing the world’s first practical bio-geographic database for a vulnerable species of timber found in S.E. Asia called Merbau (For more information on Merbau, see http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/reports/merbau-report-2).
The company has brought together an international team of genetic scientists to build the database and perfect methods to extract DNA from wood products. “The tree DNA strand or ‘genome’ is 60-100 times longer than a human one” says Kevin Hill, CEO of DHTT. “Within this genome we can identify genetic differences between individual trees, even of the same species, and map out these changes according to their geographic location in a database. It will be possible to match even the degraded DNA found in processed wood products against the database to determine its true origin.
“We will make it easy and affordable for the industry to verify the origin of their timber supplies and for law enforcement agencies to conduct spot-checks of timber imports. That’s why I’m confident that DNA timber verification will quickly become an industry standard.”
It is hoped that the combination of legislation and the availability of a practical solution to enforce it will encourage the timber industry to self-regulate. It only remains to be seen if governments in timber producing and consuming nations will continue to encourage its development and adoption. If they do, there is still hope that the world’s remaining forest resources can be managed sustainably.
About Double Helix Tracking Technologies
Double Helix Tracking Technologies develops affordable, DNA-based solutions to determine the origin of timber and wood products. We envisage inexpensive and reliable methods to identify wood origin without the need for marking, tagging or complicated documentation. Our services help customers exclude illegally harvested timber from their supply chains and detect document fraud. By clearly identifying illegal timber we support efforts to eradicate the illegal trade and promote legitimate, sustainable forest management. More information is available at www.doublehelixtracking.net.
Contact
Double Helix Tracking Technologies
Darren Thomas
+65 6227 9706
darren@doublehelixtracking.net
Related information
For more information about the United States Lacey Act Amendments, contact:
Anne Middleton, Environmental Investigation Agency
annemiddleton@eia-international.org
or visit www.eia-global.org/lacey
For more information about illegal-logging in Indonesia, contact:
Pak Hapsoro, Telapak
hapsoro@telepak.org
APPLICATION