Pakistan village takes on ‘Timber mafia’
Locals in Chitral blame corrupt officials for allowing illicit logging to wipe out country’s forests.
Published On 2 Aug 2012
Illegal logging has been blamed for wiping out most of Pakistan’s forest. Only about 2.5 per cent of the country’s forests remains, according to the United Nations.
A network of permitless loggers, who have become known as the “Timber Mafia”, allegedly receive support from local police and government officials who are either part of the scheme or paid to overlook it.
One community in northern Pakistan is trying to fight the illicit activity to save their endangered forests.
Al Jazeera’s Imtiaz Tyab reports from Chitral.
Source: Al Jazeera