Up to 45% of Bulgaria’s annual harvest is the result of illegal logging, WWF claims in a new study.
The conservation group says Bulgaria’s annual allowable cut is being exceeded by 1.5 million m3, creating an “enormous threat” to the development of sustainable forestry as a whole.
WWF says illegal logging is being spurred by violation of current legislation, corruption, fraud and loopholes in forest law.
It is calling on the EU to provide Bulgaria, soon to become an EU member state, with support to tackle the problem. It also wants to see the Bulgarian government create a task force to help reform its forest and conservation legislation.
Duncan Pollard, head of WWF’s European forest programme, said: “The new member states and accession countries should be supported by the EU to create conditions which make abuse of natural resources less attractive and less likely.”
WWF also estimates that 8% of Swiss wood imports, about 1 million m3 per year, originate from illegal sources.
