Illegal felling is an international problem with devastating effects on nature and humans of the origin countries. It is concentrated on the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, Middle and South America and states of the former Eastern bloc. So far it is difficult to identify the illegal timber when arrived in Europe. This is why the WWF Germany promotes, with the help of the Agroisolab GmbH, a method for the analysis of timber composition in order to identifiy the place of origin.

Wherefrom comes the timber?

The project aims to make the country of origin definable with isotope-analysis in order to advance the transparency of trade and to reduce the merchandise of illegal timber. With that new method the given origin can be controlled. According to the isotope distribution of oxygen and hydrogen in the precipitation of a region an equivalent concentration of solid isotopes can be found in the cellulose of the timber thus enabling the classification of wood. On this basis employees of the WWF are developing an international data bank with wood examples.

Project Operation:
Agroisolab GmbH
Karl-Heinz-Beckurts-Str. 13
52428 Jülich
Telefon 02461|690290
office@agroisolab.de
www.agroisolab.de

WWF Deutschland
Rebstöckerstraße 55
60326 Frankfurt am Main
Telefon 069|79144-0
www.wwf.de

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