In Case You Wondered Why: Illegal Malagasay Rosewood Beds Sell In China For $1 Million Each

[hatrack]

Consumer demand for rosewood furniture and musical instruments is driving illegal logging in Madagascar's national parks, endangering wildlife and undermining local community livelihoods, according to a new report from the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Global Witness.

The report, based on more than a year of investigations, shows that Madagascar's valuable hardwoods—including ebony, pallisander, and rosewood—are being illegally harvested from rainforest parks and trafficked to Asia, Europe, and the United States. The vast majority of timber—98 percent—however ends up in China, where it is converted into luxury furniture.

"In China, Malagasy rosewood beds sell for a million dollars apiece, yet less than 0.1% of the profits remain with local people," said Alexander von Bismarck of EIA, in a statement. "I don’t think the buyers of these beds would sleep well at night if they knew the full story behind their beds." Von Bismarck added that the investigations found Chinese traders were often aware that the wood they bought was illegal.

Trade in rosewood has been banned since March 2010 when the "transition authority" — the group that seized control of the country in March 2009 — established a moratorium on the logging and trade of precious hardwoods in response to international outcry. Nevertheless recent reports indicate logging continues in Masoala and Makira, rainforest areas recognized as a Global World Heritage Site.

EDIT

http://news.mongabay.com/2010/1026-madagascar_rosewood_eia-gw.html

[midnight]

1. Doesn't it make you wonder why people can't be thoughtful, and do the world

a favor and not purchase these woods that are illigally harvasted.... Several years back it was oriental rugs being made by young children who are sometimes killed because of working to slow or something outrages.....

[Codeine]

2. Rosewood is a very common material for guitar and bass fretboards.

I've decided to make it a point to only buy instruments made with maple fretboards, as I don't trust overseas manufacturers to make sure their wood is legally harvested.

[wtmusic]

3. What are the pluses/minuses to rosewood vs. maple?

As a novice, it seems like maple is easier to bend strings on.

[phantom power]

4. rosewood is harder

maple might "erode" faster over time under the strings, although I've never owned a maple fretboard.

[wtmusic]

7. Thanks.

per Wikipedia, old growth rosewood is hardest so that would explain why largest trees are cut first.

[pschoeb]

8. Wouldn't hickory make more sense? it's harder than maple and rosewood

[Codeine]

9. There are tonality considerations.

Rosewood is great for basses - nice deep tones - while maple gives a nice sustain and seems forgiving of stray harmonics (though I could just be fooling myself on that point.) Rosewood wears better and doesn't absorb finger oils readily. Ebony gets used too; I have a cheap Epiphone bass with an ebony board that sounds fantastic for an inexpensive product.

I'm not familiar with hickory as an instrument wood.

[phantom power]

5. By the way...

fucking hell.

I would not have thought that the number of people who can afford a $1M piece of furniture was significant enough to drive a huge illegal logging industry.

[loudsue]

6. Bingo! Those billionaires need to be paying a little more in taxes

and paying their workers a better share of the profits.

[Turborama]

10. K&R The Environmental Investigation Agency do excellent work exposing crimes against nature

Picture of one of the beds (from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11626412">the BBC's article on this)...






BTW The demand for cheap garden furniture in Britain is destroying the rainforests in Borneo, too: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9396230

[gtar100]

11. Something that could be made so beautifully, yet be so repulsive.

The people who buy these sorts of things are showing they have only a superficial sense of value and as a result, no taste. The story behind the things we buy is just as important as the finished product itself. To own something from made from protected products - or even protected animals - is just absolutely disgusting.

But the fact that they are millionaires and billionaires in a world filled with abject poverty, sweat shops and slavery speaks volumes about who they are as people. I have no respect for that.