The governments of Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda signed the Zanzibar Declaration at the XIV World Forestry Congress in Durban, South Africa, this week. The declaration aims to curb illegal trade in timber in Eastern and Southern Africa countries and to encourage member states to promote cooperation among their national forest agencies in information and intelligence sharing. Additionally, the declaration requests that member states implement bans on log exports and create monitoring and reporting systems for their timber industries. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reports that forest cover in sub-Saharan Africa declined by at least 6.3 million hectares over the past decade. For the full story, see http://news.mongabay.com/2015/09/5-african-countries-agree-to-combat-illegal-timber-trade/.