China's impact on forests in Southeast Asia

Dados Bibliográficos

ID3986401
AutoresGraeme Lang (City University of Hong Kong), Cathy Hiu Wan Chan (City University of Hong Kong)
Ano2006
Volume36
Fascículo2
Páginas167-194
Data de publicação2006-01-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoJournal of Contemporary Asia (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0047-2336 • E-ISSN: 1752-7554
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00472330680000111
OpenAlexW2077830741
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas20
Referências citadas12

Many developed countries have gained control of their forest-exploiting industries through advanced regulatory regimes. But stricter regulation usually displaces forest exploitation into developing countries with weaker regulatory regimes. The most important current example is the shift of forest exploitation for the Chinese market from China into Southeast Asia following the logging ban in China in 1998. In this article we describe and document the impact in Southeast Asia: rapidly increasing, unsustainable, and often illegal production and export for the Chinese market. We also note the growth in exports of furniture and plywood from China to the EU, UK, and elsewhere using imported and often illegally harvested timber from Southeast Asia. It is argued that it will be very difficult to interrupt the continuing deforestation in Southeast Asia because: (i) the profits from exporting forest products from Southeast Asia to the China market and the profits for Chinese firms which use these forest products to produce plywood and furniture for export to developed countries are substantial; and (ii) there is a lack of political will at all levels to interrupt these chains of trade and flows of profit

Ancient history · Archaeology · China · Geography · Political science · Southeast asia · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management · History