Test Valley
Environmental Thriller by Local Author
Blood Wood
by Penny Morgan
As a responsible environmentalist, you would no doubt buy wooden products from a reputable store and make sure that is has the FSC logo on it. However, before you congratulate yourself too much and rush out to buy that hardwood garden furniture, I would urge you to read ‘Blood Wood’ by Penny Morgan.
This eco-thriller begins in the tropical rainforest of the Dja Reserve in Cameroon. The reserve has an extraordinarily rich flora and fauna, including primates, such as chimps and gorillas, as well as many other endangered species. Consequently it is a World Heritage Site, particularly well protected, one might think. Not so, however. When Mark Rees sets out on a field trip to look for chimps, he finds the body of a Forest Watch campaigner, who had been looking for evidence of illegal logging in the reserve.
In the search for the killer, all the ramifications of illegal logging become clear. The demand for wood is so huge that the profits are comparable with drugs trafficking and the methods used are equally brutal and corrupt. Bribery – or violence - can secure the cooperation of police officers, customs officials, and politicians all along the line to Europe, so that wooden products can arrive at a shop near you, apparently sustainably sourced and with an FSC logo to prove it.
Illegal logging companies don’t just steal trees and accelerate climate change. They destroy the way of life of indigenous peoples, such as the Baka pygmies, whose ancient knowledge of the forest is being lost, while workers at logging camps suffer degrading working conditions and are forced to kill endangered species for food.
Penny Morgan lives at King’s Somborne and is a zoologist herself. Her novel could do with some editing but it is a fast moving story that paints a convincing picture of illegal logging and is a passionate plea for action to end the destruction of the world’s forests. We now know that every tree has a unique DNA , which is a great step forward in the traceability of wood If western governments enforced their own rules, the trade could be stopped. However, she makes it clear that we are all complicit to some extent, with our insatiable demand for wooden products.
Jenny Fakes
The ISBN is 9781438905754.
You can contact the author at email: johnandpennymorgan@yahoo.co.uk