A ban on the sale of illegally-harvested timber, along with traceability measures and sanctions, has been given the green light by MEPs…Member States will be responsible for applying sanctions to operators who break the rules…To ensure traceability, each operator along the supply chain will need to declare from whom they bought timber and to whom they sold it…The rules are expected to take effect in late 2012…On a global level, deforestation as a whole is estimated to contribute 20% of greenhouse gas emissions...The plunder of this natural resource also hits forest-dependent peoples and the economies of developing countries.