Man faces criminal charges after tearing through protected forest: 'Major loss in tax revenues'

At the beginning of April, a man in Mojkovac, Montenegro, was found guilty of illegal logging in a protected state forest.

"During a visit to the Polje region," the Forest and Hunting Directorate stated, as reported by Vijesti, "the regional forester discovered illegal logging in a state forest in the amount of 13.26 [cubic meters]."

The specific forest was not mentioned, though Montenegro is home to some of Europe's last remaining ancient forests, The Times reported.

Officials filed a criminal charge against the suspect, who admitted guilt soon after. The logs, taken mostly from beech trees, were seized.

As is the case with most (if not all) illegal logging, this inflicted both a financial and environmental blow to Montenegro. Vijesti reported that this specific case "caused damage to the Forest and Hunting Management Administration in the amount of 1090.78 euros."

Despite the consequences, illegal logging remains lucrative. According to a 2019 Interpol report, the illegal logging industry is worth up to $152 billion annually, representing a "major loss in tax revenues" across nations.

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The environmental toll is even more tremendous. Illegal loggers usually target protected forests, the last vestiges of many endangered species' habitats. Cutting down these trees hurts biodiversity and shrinks already damaged habitats, as the World Wildlife Fund explained.

Trees are also crucial to maintaining global temperatures. They absorb carbon, cutting down on humans' air pollution. Unfortunately, forests release carbon back into the atmosphere when they die, which could cause global temperatures to rise even further.

With this in mind, proper forest maintenance (and cracking down on illegal logging) is not only ethical but also necessary for humans' continued existence.

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