Notes
- The Lacey Act, as it is known, has been a mainstay in fighting wildlife crime by banning the U.S. import of illegally sourced (according to laws in the country of origin) animal products
- The most recent amendment (May 22, 2008) had put a similar ban onto plants, including trees, and lumber products such as paper, furniture and flooring
- The Laney Act helps the fight to reducing illegal logging and global deforestation
- Studies estimate that illegal logging may make up 8-10% of primary wood production, causing $15 billion in lost revenues to the countries in which it occurs
- Illegal logging has become a huge problem with 18 million acres lost to deforestation each year
- International efforts to put the brakes on deforestation don't stand much a chance if the policies they imagine can't be enforced
- The new Lacey can make a difference as under the act it says that all imported forest and plant products must include basic declarations of where they come from
- The responsibility is on importers to exercise "due care" to ensure that products coming into the U.S. are sourced legally
- Another rule is that Prosecutors don't need a type of proof about shipment being illegally harvested, all that is required to know is the origin of a source if it was known for illegal activity
- The U.S. is a significant player in the trade of wood products as it is the world's largest importer of wood products
- Environmental Investigation Agency says that 17% of global "forest product" exports are destined for the U.S. market and research also shows that 10% of the imports may be at "high risk of illegal origin"
- If the U.S. allowed only importers of legal forest practices instead of dealing with blacklist companies this would cause a positive ripple effect onto others
- U.S. businesses are now responsible for ensuring that the wood they import is legal
- When the Lacey Act enforcement efforts step up, there will be increasingly strong incentives throughout the entire global supply chain to document the legality of imported forest products
- Lacey Act allows the U.S. the first country in the world to place an outright ban on illegally harvested wood products
- Lacey can be a big breakthrough for efforts to combat climate change from deforestation
- The largest wood products market could unexpectedly provide a critical missing piece of that puzzle