The European Parliament has voted to ban illegal timber imports. The law will help protect forests in places such as the Amazon, Congo and Indonesia, and the wildlife living there, including tigers, orangutans and bonobo chimpanzees.

Sarah Shoraka, forests campaigner for Greenpeace, said: ‘At long last, illegal timber and products made from it, will no longer end up in UK shops. That’s not just good news for the forests, it’s good news for British consumers too, because no one wants to play a part in destroying the last remaining rainforests.’

Currently, about one-fifth of the timber that enters the EU is said to be illegal. Under this new legislation, from 2012, companies bringing timber into Europe, or selling it, must produce documentation tracking it through their supply chain back to source.

‘It will help ensure legal operators are not undercut by those who are operating outside the law,’ said Chen Hin Keong, Traffic’s Global Forest Trade Programme Leader. DIY company B&Q also backed the ruling, stating that it creates a level playing field for responsible retailers.

For more details please visit the European Parliament website:
www.europarl.europa.eu