Czech Republic signs international forest protection treaty

The Czech Republic has added its signature to a multilateral treaty designed to protect tropical forests from felling across the world. The treaty, known as the International Tropical Timber Agreement was signed by Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg at a session of the UN General Assembly in New York. If the treaty is ratified by the Czech Parliament, the country will become a member of the Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) which promotes sustainable logging, poverty reduction and conservation.