UNEP and INTERPOL Support Countries in Combating Illegal Logging
25 July 2013: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) announced the results of a project implemented in collaboration with INTERPOL to combat illegal logging in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela.
The project, titled ‘Operation Lead' builds the capacity of participating countries to identify where illegal logging is occurring, transportation routes for illegally harvested timber and the organizations involved in illegal logging activities. Provided with such information and in the first phase of the project, countries have seized about $US 48 million worth of timber and arrested of over 200 suspects.
The project has been funded by the Government of Norway and was carried out under INTERPOL's Environmental Crime Programme and its Project Leaf. [UNEP Press Release]