For reasons related to the dynamics of economy rather than to environmentalist concerns, the international trade in tropical timber has been affected from the end of the 70ies by a sound structural reorganization, which was quickened at the end of the 80ies and the result of which is a decrease of quantities exported together with important changes in the level of processing of products and in directions of trade. This reorganization, which corresponded to specific stratégies from producers and importers in the Pacific rim (the larger part of the world trade in tropical timber comes from South-East Asia for other asiatic countries), has been attended by voluntary statal policies related to these interests.
