Timber trafficking has numerous detrimental effects on sustainable and equitable development, including the following (Dawson, 2020; UNODC, 2012; WWF, n.d.):

• contributes to deforestation, desertification and other forms of environmental degradation;
• reduces biodiversity with the potential for species extinction;
• destroys habitats;
• increases human-wildlife conflict due to the destruction of habitats.
• robs communities of the opportunity to harvest renewable forest resources and achieve sustainable livelihoods;
• deprives governments of billions in fees, taxes and customs revenues;
• often overlaps with other illegal activities involving drug trafficking, cattle rustling, wildlife trafficking, human rights abuses and serious corruption;
• fuels conflicts in areas where armed groups engage in timber trafficking and the taxation of the movement of illegal timber harvests, such as in Myanmar and Senegal;
• destabilises ecosystems by disrupting the water cycle.