YANGON, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar authorities recently seized over 103 tons of illegal timber in Bago region in one week, according to a release from the forest department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation on Tuesday.
According to the release, the confiscations which were made from Aug. 3 to 9 within the area of Bago Yoma mountain range included teak, hardwood and other types of timber.
Illegal logging often occurs in the area although the authorities have outlawed all logging operation within the area of Bago Yoma mountain range for a 10-year period starting from the fiscal year (FY) 2016-2017.
A total of over 12,370 tons of illegal timber including over 3,098.2 tons of teak, over 2,602.7 tons of hardwood and over 6,669 tons of other types of timber were seized across the country in first four months of the present FY 2019-2020 which started in October, according to the department's latest figures.
During the period, 1,332 offenders were charged in connection with the cases, along with the seizure of 1,049 vehicles and machinery.
Meanwhile, the forest department has been making efforts to crack down on illegal logging and trading of forest products as well as to implement tree plantation projects in substitution. Enditem
