NCJ Number
240050
Journal
Global Crime Volume: 13 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2012 Pages: 191-212
Date Published
August 2012
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article examines transnational environmental crime by analyzing the illegal trade in tropical timber.
Abstract
This article responds to the call for more empirical knowledge about transnational environmental crime by analyzing the illegal trade in tropical timber. It aims to provide insights into the social organization 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 organization 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. Abstract published by arrangement with Taylor and Francis.