Measures against deforestation

Illegal deforestation is a threat to national security, under new bill signed into law by President Iohannis.

Mihai Pelin, 11.01.2016, 13:39

Romanias President Klaus Iohannis has signed into law a bill under which illegal deforestation of surface areas larger than one hectare is listed as a national security threat. In this category, the new law includes any type of action that harms Romanias strategic economic interests and leads to the destruction of its national resources, including forests, hunting population, fish population and waters.

Illegal logging, pruning bushes and shrubs by cutting down more than 50% compared with the levels laid down in the forest development plan and the exploitation of forests without a forest development plan are all considered threats to national security. The law was initiated by the Liberal MPs and passed by Parliament in December.

The new provisions were considered a necessity, given that Romania cuts down 3 hectares of forest every hour, and tens of cases of illegal logging are registered every day, according to a recent study by Greenpeace, which looked at illegal deforestation in the 2013-2014 period based on the data supplied by the Romanian authorities. At least 45,000 cases of illegal logging were registered in this period, which means more than 60 cases on average per day, double the figure reported between 2009 and 2011. This accounts for over 1 million cubic metres of wood, two times more than in the latter period. Illegal logging in the 2013-2014 period cost the state almost 52 million euros.

The most cases of illegal logging were found in Arges County, which accounted for 12.8% of the total number of cases in Romania. This county also had the highest number of cases of illegal logging between 2009 and 2011. In general, the west and north-west were the main sources of illegal logging. The counties of Cluj, Alba and Maramures accounted for 78% of all cases of illegal logging in the 2013-2014 period. However, according to Greenpeace, rather than giving the full picture of illegal logging in Romania, these official figures only show the tip of the iceberg.