Rainforest in the Blue Mountains of Australia. J.W.C. Adams/Creative Commons.
One of Andy’s articles, recently posted on Biodiversity Revolution, has been picked up by The Conversation. It’s nice to be able to talk about a scientific solution to a serious problem: generally we just tend to worry about issues, and there’s little or nothing that we can do about them. This time, though, there’s a definite solution that will enable scientists to identify timber and track timber that’s been illegally logged, tracing it right back to the source. That means a reduction in deforestation, particularly in the most vulnerable areas, and a crackdown on those who make ‘invisible’ money from this trade, as well as providing those with a conscience the reassurance that our timber goods have been harvested sustainably.
That’s definitely a win for the good guys.
Rainforest in Ecuador. Vilseskogen/flickr, Creative Commons
A great innovation and excellent to see this technology becoming part of global chain-of-custody systems like the Forest Stewardship Council — accountability assurance across the value chain. I look forward to feeling more confident about the timber products I buy, including the paper trail!
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