DNA detectives aim to thwart illegal timber trade

A technique originally used to piece together the DNA of extinct animals lies at the heart of a powerful new technology for tackling the $23 billion trade in illegal timber. A lot of timber sold with the famous Forest Stewardship Council sustainability logo breaks the FSC's rules, warns the Center for International Forestry Research, based in Bogor, Indonesia. DNA might offer a better way to establish the source of wood. "Tree DNA is still present in tables, chairs, floors, decking and even guitars - but as the wood has been kiln-dried and treated with chemicals, the DNA is like a messed-up jigsaw puzzle," says Andrew Lowe, chief scientific officer of DoubleHelix in Singapore. Like fragmented DNA from mammoths and other animals trapped in permafrost, however, wood DNA can now be reconstructed. "Companies can prove the origin of their finished wood products, helping eliminate fraud," he says. Calling DNA "nature's barcode", DoubleHelix aims to set up genetic checkpoints where timber source paperwork can be verified throughout the supply chain. DNA databases will allow the timber's true origin to be pinpointed with ever-greater accuracy. At an international forestry conference in Pointe-Noire, Republic of Congo, this week, the company - together with the International Timber Trade Organization (ITTO) - will unveil a genetic map of commercially logged tree species from the Congo river basin. The map will allow the DNA of timber traded from the region to be cross-checked against customs declarations.

More protests over Bolivian road plan

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have brought traffic to a standstill in Bolivia's capital La Paz in a protest against plans to build a highway in the Amazon. The road, which the Bolivian government insists is essential for development in the region, would pass through a nature reserve. The protesters, mainly from indigenous communities, fear it will encourage illegal settlement and logging. At the weekend police used force to break up a protest march, triggering growing public anger and led to the resignations of two cabinet ministers. President Evo Morales has apologised for the violence against the demonstrators. "I take this opportunity to offer a thousand apologies in my name and on behalf of my government to those who were assaulted with great arrogance," he said. "But apologies are not enough. A profound investigation to determine who were the people responsible for that violence against our brothers and sisters will follow." Protests by indigenous activists opposed to the road pose a dilemma for Mr Morales, who has put the project at the heart of his strategy to improve the country's dilapidated road system. Mr Morales blames rich countries for global warming and sprinkles his speeches with references to Pachamama (Mother Earth), but critics say the road plan raises questions about his green credentials and commitment to indigenous rights.

EU lawmakers call for global green energy targets

EU lawmakers recommended on Thursday including a call for global targets on renewable energy and energy efficiency in the European Union's negotiating position for next year's Rio+20 sustainability summit in June. "We should aim at globally binding targets," said Karl-Heinz Florenz, a member of the European Parliament who helped draft the resolution. In April, a U.N. panel of climate scientists said the world could get up to almost 80 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2050, given the right policies to shift consumption away from fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Lawmakers meeting in the French city of Strasbourg said the bloc should push for an end to "environmentally harmful subsidies" by 2020 -- including for biofuels. The resolution expressed the hope that a proposed EU financial transaction tax would be adopted globally, and the proceeds used to fight the impact of global warming in developing countries. The Parliament has the right of veto on all international agreements to which the EU agrees, and the bloc's executive will have to take account of its position when finalizing the negotiating position for the summit.