Illegal exports of Peruvian hardwood have been hitting the shelves in the US. Last week, Wikileaks released the text of sent in 2006 by the then US ambassador to Peru. It transpires that the Peruvian government knew that an estimated 70 to 90 per cent of the mahogany Peru exported in 2005 came from illegal sources. Most of the wood was destined for the US and exported with the aid of falsified documents and bribery.
Illegal logging remains a problem, says Rebecca Spooner from the charity , which is urging Peru to ensure all hardwood it exports is properly certified. 鈥淐orruption is taking place on a local level. It鈥檚 too easy for people to falsify documents.鈥�
Until the Peruvian government is able to guarantee that the documentation for its hardwood is sound, importers should avoid purchasing it altogether, she says.
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