Lost in the Customs Line: Mozambique-China Timber Trade
Picture this:
Photo Source: Sonburst Communication
You just landed in a faraway destination of your choosing. You have never been here but have heard only good things. You can barely wait until the ‘unfasten seat belt’ light turns off before you release the clasp and bounce off the plane. After you’ve cued for immigration and waited for the baggage carousel, you’re nearly free…but then, you spot a colorful mass of people going nowhere.
Lo and behold…the dreaded customs line.
No matter if you travel by air, by road or by sea, when you enter a foreign country, you have to endure this mind-numbing process:
Photo Source: Karl Gehring/The Denver Post via Getty Images
And don’t forget the nerve-wracking questioning…
Photo Sources: Business Insider
Standing in this never-ending line begs the question... what is Customs good for?
Customs procedures enable countries to keep a close eye on the number of people coming in and out of a country on any given day. For example, we know that Beijing airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. In 2016 alone, we know that over 94 million passengers entered into the Beijing airport. [i] That kind of traffic requires robust data management systems.
Photo Source: Modlar
Did you know that passengers aren’t the only ones who go through customs?
If you have travelled internationally then you have undoubtedly filled out a paper declaring whether you are bringing in “goods.” For a plane passenger this can mean anything from pets to cigars.
In addition to goods declared by travelers, imports and exports from enterprises also get recorded in a customs process. We are talking big cargo here now.
Photo Source: World Maritime News Mobile
So what does this have to do with the environment?
Our Overseas Investment team looks at a lot of different types of export and import data. Specifically, our experts pay close attention to numbers around natural resources.
Photo Source: The Ecologist
For example, let’s take a look at timber trade. Below is a chart compiled for a previous GEI report (Chang and Peng 2015) using data from UN COMTRADE with information reported from both China and Mozambique.
This data is concerning because of the large discrepancies. As you can see, the numbers in China are much larger than in Mozambique for every year. Based on these numbers, either a large amount of wood is appearing out of thin air, or something fishy is going on with the customs control of timber trade and its data collection.
Photo Source: Rainforest Rescue
If this was how our data looked about passengers exiting and entering countries – it would be cause for alarm!
The more we know about exactly what type of timber is coming across the border, the better we can foster good stewardship of forest resources and benefit local communities.
Photo Source: FLEGT
Believe it or not… this takes us back to the dreaded customs line.
As a part of an upcoming report on timber trade, our experts just returned from their most recent trip to Mozambique. GEI spent two days sitting down with customs experts from China and Mozambique, walking through every step of the timber customs process.
Experts from China and Mozambique exchanging knowledge and experience
Picture Source: GEI 2018
This included a seeing a detailed demonstration of declaration forms, comparing a list of required documents, discussing risks of undocumented transaction data as well as brainstorming possible sources of illegal timber trade.
Experts from China and Mozambique discussing
Photo Source: GEI 2018
This meeting further emphasized how much discrepancy exists in the respective customs agencies.
In April, we are looking forward to both sides making monumental steps forward for forestry. So far both sides have agreed that the system needs more harmonization to link data for different sections including required document checking, scanning, packaging and shipping.
We aren’t saying you must enjoy the customs process, but maybe this nugget of knowledge will help you appreciate its role in environmental protection.
[i] Wikipedia
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