Guardia Nacional Seizes Illegally Chopped Wood In Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, Michoacán

By "El Huaso" for Borderland Beat

The Guardia Nacional located and seized about 100 illegally chopped logs in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, State of Michoacán, according to a press release on August 4. Illegal logging is becoming a major criminal market in Mexico, accounting for 1/3 of wood sales in the nation according to authorities.

They discovered the site when patrolling in the town of Zitácuaro, Michoacán. 

The seizure was made by the National Guard in joint effort with the Michoacán State Police, the Environmental Protection Battalion of the National Guard, and the Federal Environmental Prosecutor (PROFEPA by its initials in Spanish). 

Upon locating the site, security forces established a perimeter and looked for the loggers, but were unable to find them.

PROFEPA is holding the logs and will undertake the investigation.

Illegal logging is an increasing problem in Mexico, often exploited by criminal groups who illegally fell trees for sale. The nation has lost about 8% of its forest cover in the last two decades, according to NGO GlobalForestWatch.

In an interview with El Financiero, the director of the National Commission of Forests (CONAFUR), León Jorge Castaños Martínez said “It is a very, very serious problem, which has been growing because there is a deficit of wood from national production".

InSight Crime has reported that CJNG, Los Correa, La Familia Michoacána, and Carteles Unidos are all involved in illegal logging in the state. 

Sources: Guardia Nacional Press Release, InSight Crime, El Financiero, Global Forest Watch

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