Baron Roy writes:  To protect the Irrawaddy Delta which was devastated by cyclone Nargis, the new government in Myanmar has banned the export of raw timber.  Teak forests are in the north and the delta in the south, but they are in the same ecosystem.
Until now Myanmar was the only country in the world that exported raw teak from natural forests rather than plantations. Most of it was done illegally by private loggers who enjoyed passive government support. Between 2000 and 2013, some 72 per cent of logs exported from the country was said to be illegally shipped. In some areas in the north, wide swathes of forests are being cleared to make room for oil palm and rubber plantations. While 49 per cent of the total land area is marked as forested and primary forests are said to occupy 10 per cent of it, substantial given Myanmar’s sheer size, over 18 per cent of the total forest area has been lost since 1990.