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Conflicting international policies in tropical timber trade

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 October 2009

Caroline Amilien
Caroline Amilien*
Affiliation:
Centre for European and International Studies, Department of Law, University of Aix en Provence, France
*
* Caroline Amilien, 109 Pickctt Lane Cary, N.C., 27511, USA Tel: +1 919 467 6975 Fax: +1 919 467 6975
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Summary

Trade in tropical timber, while a minor cause of deforestation in the tropics, can be a substantial factor in promoting forest degradation and deforestation. International organizations and conferences increasingly recognize that adverse environmental effects of international trade can be reduced through regulations and economic incentives. Three international agreements, the GATT, the CITES, and the ITTA, now affect the tropical timber trade and are here reviewed. Adopted at different times, they illustrate different philosophies, pursue different objectives, and develop contradictory trade policy perspectives. Legal conflicts among these agreements reduce their effectiveness, and mitigate a global objective of making international trade in tropical timber more responsive to environmental issues. Harmonization among the GATT, the CITES, and the ITTA, and collaboration among organizations in charge of managing these agreements, should be reinforced in order to establish a coherent and uniform policy for tropical timber trade.

Keywords

EnvironmentInternational TradeInternational AgreementTropical Timber
Type
Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 23 , Issue 1 , March 1996 , pp. 29 - 33
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 1996

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