Out of the woods: the illegal trade in tropical timber and a European trade hub

TLDR

Determining the legal and illegal actors involved in transnational environmental crime is often difficult. The study analyzes the illegal trade of tropical timber, focusing on the social organization of illegal transports at Antwerp port and the legal–illegal interfaces across origin, transit, and destination. The authors examined the social organization of illegal tropical timber transports at Antwerp port, considering flows from origin through transit to destination. The study finds that the social organization of transnational environmental crime is shaped by the global context of origin, transit, and destination, remaining on a thin line between legal and illegal.

Abstract

This article responds to the call for more empirical knowledge about transnational environmental crime by analysing the illegal trade in tropical timber. It aims to provide insights into the social organisation of the illegal transports of tropical timber within the local research setting of the port of Antwerp (Belgium) but meanwhile pays attention to elements throughout the flows from locations of origin over transit to destination. It is often difficult to determine which legal and illegal actors are involved in transnational environmental crime. This research sheds light on the legal–illegal interfaces in tropical timber flows connected to this European setting. The results show that the social organisation of transnational environmental crime is shaped by the global context of the places of origin, transit and destination, where it is continuously on a thin line between legal and illegal.