Environmental NGOs have renewed their call to Delmas Shipping to halt shipments of what they say is illegal rosewood from Madagascar to China.
In a letter to Delmas, Global Witness and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) say the firm is “the only global shipping company still willing to provide an exit route for this illegally-source timber. This facilitating and fuelling the devastation of Madagascar’s last remaining rosewood forests”.
Delmas had suspended shipments pending proof of the timber’s origin, which it has now obtained. However, the NGOs say the decrees are not proof of origin and they remain “deeply sceptical” of the transitional government’s “ability and readiness” to monitor the illegal trade in rosewood.
“The government’s laundering of illicitly-sourced wood has been publicly criticised by its international development partners. It is clearly not good enough for a reputable international company such as Delmas to claim that it is acting properly by relying on these highly questionable legal authorisations,” the NGOs said.
