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Forest ranger Liviu Pop was responding to a tip-off about illegal logging when he was shot dead with a hunting rifle this week.
He is the second Romanian forest ranger killed in just over a month, and the two deaths have heightened fears for the safety of those whose job it is to protect the forests of this eastern EU country.
Romania is home to more than half of Europe's last remaining old-growth and primeval forests — valuable ecosystems home to bears, wolves, lynx, and wildcat.
There is considerable alarm at the levels of violence illegal loggers are willing to use in order to steal wood. That wood can end up anywhere across Europe, from furniture to paper or building materials.
Liviu Pop had gone out to investigate a possible case of illegal logging in a mountainous region of Maramures in north Romania when his colleagues became concerned.
He is the second Romanian forest ranger killed in just over a month, and the two deaths have heightened fears for the safety of those whose job it is to protect the forests of this eastern EU country.
Romania is home to more than half of Europe's last remaining old-growth and primeval forests — valuable ecosystems home to bears, wolves, lynx, and wildcat.
There is considerable alarm at the levels of violence illegal loggers are willing to use in order to steal wood. That wood can end up anywhere across Europe, from furniture to paper or building materials.
Liviu Pop had gone out to investigate a possible case of illegal logging in a mountainous region of Maramures in north Romania when his colleagues became concerned.
Romania forest murder as battle over logging turns violent
Liviu Pop died last week, the second forest ranger killed in the past month.
www.bbc.com
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