Interpol and the United Nations launched a joint initiative to fight forest crime. "Project Leaf" will target crimes involving illegal logging and timber trafficking and will provide support in countries with the largest forest problems. Interpol's environmental crimes manager said that illegal logging is an issue that is not restricted by international boundaries and that international action is needed to halt forest crimes. More than a quarter of the world's population relies on the forest for their livelihoods, according to the BBC, and Interpol said that corruption and fraud in the forest industry hamper efforts to fight global poverty. A United Nations Environment Programme report said that illegal logging accounted for 15-30 percent of total global logging, and that deforestation accounted for 17 percent of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions. The news followed a speech in March by Bernd Rossbach, executive director of police for Interpol, in which he called for an international crackdown on wildlife crime. Rossbach called poaching and logging "serious, organized and often transnational" and said there was evidence it's often linked to other kinds of crime. For the full story, see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18354564. Earlier: http://elr.info/International/update/4.2.12.internationalupdate.cfm.