Conflict Timberbehind the civil war

in Sierra Leone

Yuta Yasuda

What is Conflict TimberA General Definition

Timber traded for purpose of financing armed conflict or to take advantage of conflict situation for profit

Timber in exchange for arms

Blood Diamond

Why Timber?Diamond → Strict restriction on exports (Kimberley process)

Timber demand is increasing

Easily exploitable, valuable

Readily marketable

Difficult to trace

In Africa“Environmental destruction is inevitable to improve economy”

Environmental destruction even puts people life in danger

People are not only victims of them but also cause of them

Environmental destruction

Broken people living

Jeopardy of life

Sierra LeoneArea: 71,740 k㎡Population: 5.6 million

Rich in resource with

Diamonds

Titanium, Iron ore

Rainforest

Forest resourceTotal Forest Area 2,726,000 ha

Percent Forest Cover 38%

Swamp

Mangrove forests

Savanna wood land

Conflict (Civil War)In 1991-2002

Between RUF and the government

About 75,000 dead

Over 2,000,000 refugees

One-third of population is displaced

Nation80% of population is living in absolute poverty

Ranked 180th out of 182 countries on the Human Development Index

About 40% of children under the age of 5 suffer from chronic malnourishment

At least 55,000 people are living with HIV and AIDS

Life expectancy : 47 years

Literacy rate : 41%

Access to safe water : 49%

Under age 5 mortality rate : 174/1000

School enrolment : 69%

The Resource CurseThe paradox that countries and regions with an abundance of natural resources tend to have less economic growth and worse development outcomes than countries with fewer natural resources

DeforestationDeforestation rates average 2.9% per year over the last quarter century

During 1990-2005, country lost 18% of forest

The Gola Forest : 60% → 5% of the total area

People there cannot enter the forest → they cannot get the necessaries of life, such as firewoods and medical herbs and etc

Jeopardy of wild life

A natural disaster often occur in those area ( flood, drought)

FactorsGovernance

Merchants

Consumers

Governance Corruption : Governments or anti-governments gives the right of logging in their own are in return to the group on their side

Forests can be owned by the state or fall within chieftain

Some lands are also held in private owner-ship with free hold right of exclusivity, use and transfer

Much of the land has been individualised in the name of lineages, families and individuals

It is easier to sell their timber or connect to governments or black markets

Merchants

Black Market

Illegal distribution network

It’s difficult to find out

Government in corruption

Conflict

Merchants

Timber Arms

Damage

DevelopedCountries

TimberDeforestation

ConsumersDeveloped countries that are importing conflict timber

They don’t know that the imported timber is involved in the conflict

ConclusionConflict timber could be oversight because of blood diamond

Timber is exchanged with arms for conflict, as a result, deforestation continues unless the conflict is over

Illegal logging is not under surveillance because of the government in corruption