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Myanmar: Ministry struggles to control illegal logging
Myanmar: Ministry struggles to control illegal logging
Thursday, 30 June 2016 – Illegal logging continues to aggravate deforestation, raising the risk of flooding and putting the lives of law enforcement officers at risk, the government says. U Nyi Nyi Kyaw, director general of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, has told business leaders that most of the illegal felling takes place in Kachin State and Sagaing Region, and the logs are smuggled into China – but the ministry cannot control the situation.
Myanmar is the third-worst country in the world for deforestation, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Although Myanma Timber Enterprise ended the production of teak and hardwoods this year to allow forests to re-establish themselves, many forests remain beyond government control, he said. Read More?