On August 24th, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, a federal government agency, raided Gibson guitar’s offices and factories in Nashville and Memphis – for the second time in a two-year period. The federal authorities confiscated guitars made of tropical hardwoods, pallets of wood from endangered trees and delivery documents. Gibson is accused of having twelve deliveries of ebony and rosewood illegally imported from India in the course of two years. In November 2009, federal agents had already paid Gibson a visit and their search had been a success: Back then, Gibson had imported illegally logged rosewood from Madagascar.
Apart from its factories in the United States, the Gibson group manufactures guitars in China as well. The biggest part of the timber illegally logged in Madagascar is shipped to the Asian country.
Please sign our letter to Gibson and make the company replace imported exotic wood with local timber species.
Gibson Guitar Corp.
Mr. Henry Juszkiewicz, CEO
Dear Mr. Juszkiewicz,
we are outraged that your company is suspected of importing exotic timber from illegal sources for the second time now.
In November 2009 and again in August 2011, agents of the American federal government agency U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have confiscated tropical timber, guitars and delivery documents at the Gibson offices. Gibson is accused of unlawfully importing precious ebony and rosewood from Madagascar and India.
We think it is unacceptable that you not only ignore the Indian export laws for timber, but also criticize them in public, because they stand in the way of your business dealings.
The illegal trade in tropical timber is the main cause of the destruction of the rainforest. The resulting damage on man and nature is enormous. Especially in Madagascar, the situation is dramatic: Even protected areas like the Masoala National Park are looted for the purpose of obtaining ebony and rosewood for export.
For decades, environmental organisations around the world have fought for the import of illegal timber to be stopped. In the United States, this resulted in the amendment of the Lacey Act in 2008. The Lacey Act prohibits trade in wildlife, plants and wood from illegal sources. Furthermore, the European Union decided to impose a ban on the import of illegal timber in 2010 (Timber Regulation (EU) No. 995/2010 of the European Parliament).
These laws constitute an important step in curbing the destruction of our rainforests. We are certain that no musician is going to buy a Gibson guitar or play it, if building it involves forest clearance, illegal sources and unlawful imports.
Tropical timber is not a crucial factor in terms of the sound of electric guitars. Please use local wood from sustainable forest management instead. North America alone has 240 different tree species. Put a stop to imports of tropical wood from Madagascar, India and other countries.
Respectfully,
