Ilegal logging in decline

There aren't many pieces of good news environmentally lately, and despite the nice sound of this one, it too is a mixed bag. But it's better than nothing but bad news.

Illegal logging in decline

Here's the reason that it's a mixed message:

But the problem is by no means solved, the report says. Illegal logging is the first step in a larger process that often ends in complete deforestation, and it remains rife in many places. Many countries have sustainable forestry laws, but illegal logging thrives wherever corruption, chaos and political apathy are found regardless of what laws are on the books. Illegal loggers range from small, 'artisanal' groups with one truck and a couple of employees to multimillion-dollar companies who build roads and sawmills.

But... here's the good part of it.

Nonetheless, illegal logging has declined sharply in the three countries studied in detail in the report. The authors found a 50% reduction in Cameroon, a 50%–75% reduction in Brazil and a 75% drop in Indonesia. Such decreases may have cost as little as $2.50 per tonne of carbon, as compared to a cost of $18 per tonne in the European Union carbon trading scheme.

So let's celebrate a little.