[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 31 (Monday, August 4, 2003)]
[Page 990]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the International Initiative To Help Developing Countries 
Stop Illegal Logging

July 28, 2003

    Today my administration has announced a new international initiative 
to help developing countries stop illegal logging. Illegal logging 
destroys biodiversity and hundreds of thousands of acres of forest 
habitat annually. It releases millions of tons of greenhouse gases into 
the atmosphere. Last year, I directed Secretary Powell to develop a plan 
to address this serious issue. I thank him for his efforts in 
establishing this initiative. Working with the private sector, 
nongovernmental organizations, and other nations, the United States will 
help identify and reduce threats to protected forest areas and other 
high-value conservation forests. These efforts will serve as a 
foundation for future actions to eliminate illegal logging, corruption 
in the forest sector, and the sale--including for export--of illegally 
harvested timber products. They will also help us protect forests and 
the livelihoods that depend upon them.