What impact am I causing on tropical forests by using imported wood products?
Positive! Creating economic incentives encourages communities to manage their forests and leads to their long-term conservation, preventing them from being turned into farms and ranches. In a publication by the U.N. Environment Program, World Conservation, “buying tropical veneers and other valuable tropical hardwood products that have been produced sustainably would encourage maintenance and even improvement of selective wood extraction.” Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, Counselor for Biodiversity and Economic Affairs at the Smithsonian Institution states, “the key component in preserving and maintaining the tropical forests is to ensure these resources maintain their economic value.
