EU to ban illegal timber?

The Council of the European Union has signalled its approval of a piece of legislation - the Due Diligence Regulation (DDR) - that will see the entry of illegal timber in the EU market prohibited.

All wood not logged in accordance with the law of its original country will not be allowed in and environment secretary Caroline Spelman noted that "getting this agreement is a priority for the coalition".

"Illegal logging leads to deforestation which is a major contributor to climate change," she continued, adding that it is harmful to wildlife and impacts developing countries' economies and local people's livelihoods.

Now, the council has passed its decision regarding the DDR onto the European Parliament, with a vote expected next month.

This follows research from the University of Wisconsin revealing that rainforest logging activity in South America is leading to higher levels of malaria, with cases possibly increasing by 50 per cent in areas near patches of logged land.

Written by Sandra Mann

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