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A worker swings his axe at a rosewood tree in Masoala National...
Reportage by Getty Images TumblrA worker swings his axe at a rosewood tree in Masoala National Park, Madagascar, in August of 2009. Rosewood, which received CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) protective status in 2011, is known for its density, tensile strength, and the beautifully dark pink to blood-red rose coloring, making it a premium material for furniture and musical instruments. With the lure of cash wages beyond their normal means, Madagascans near Masoala National Park have created illegal logging camps along its rivers and valleys. Chinese benefactors fund the local traders. Only a fraction of the wood is processed on Madagascan soil, ensuring that the price paid per length is rock bottom at export, and few locally really benefit from the industry.
Photo by Toby Smith/Getty Images Reportage
