Since 2013, Costa Rica’s dry tropical forests have been under siege from loggers looking to cash in on skyrocketing demand for precious hardwoods, especially cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa), also known as tropical rosewood. The illegal logging of cocobolo and other precious hardwoods threatens Costa Rica’s famous but understaffed national parks as loggers look to protected areas as the last untapped source of valuable lumber for export.
Native to parts of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, the cacay nut was long used by indigenous people to treat wounds and light lamps. As those uses faded, trees that reached 40 meters (130 feet) high became appealing targets for loggers. That's begun to change with the renewed appeal of natural oils as beauty treatments.
MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has asked his country’s legislature to pass a bill giving him complete control over the management of the country's forests, which have been clear-cut in an “extraordinary” manner during the last 20 years, said an official source on Thursday.
