Bribery of officials...

Bribery of officials, as a form of corruption, is very prevalent in many parts of the world, and it is a major obstacle in the realization of forest conservation through various measures.33 Laws have been formulated in Bulgaria, El Salvador, Ghana, Kenya, Panama, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea but, due to lack of financial resources and lack of political commitment, their implementation has been a challenge.34 There are national legislations worldwide for controlling the timber production and trade process from the harvesting to the processing to the sales of wood.

At any moment, these legislations can be violated. It is possible to harvest more wood than is permitted or to remove trees from protected areas.35 Corruption has been widespread as licenses to cut down trees have been improperly issued in defiance of both national and international laws that aim to protect ecosystems and certain species. Local leaders are also bribed to accept this move.36 2.5.

Industrialization, Urbanization, and Infrastructure There are other factors that have been noted to cause global deforestation. These include: industrialization, urbanization, and the development of modern infrastructure. Economic development is seen as a good move across the globe, but these developments do not seem to shift toward care for the…