Illegal timber seized in Nampula

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Illegal timber seized in Nampula

8:01 CAT | 19 Jul 2016

File photo / African blackwood

The Mozambican authorities in the northern province of Nampula seized about 460 cubic metres of illegally logged hardwood valued at around five million meticais (around 80,000 US dollars) during the month of June. In addition, five trucks and a tractor involved in the logging were confiscated.

According to the daily newspaper “Noticias”, the timber was seized during an intensified operation to combat the illegal exploitation of the province’s forestry resources. The authorities confiscated various precious hardwoods including African blackwood (“pau preto”), chanfuta (pod mahogany), and umbila.

The operation covered the districts of Angoche, Erati, Meconta, Mecuburi, Muecate, and Mogincual. Most of the seizures occurred whilst the logs were being transported to the port at Nacala for exportation, although a small quantity was found in the forest.

The head of Nampula’s Provincial Forestry and Wild Life Services, Luis Sande, said that measures are currently being put in place for the sale of the confiscated wood in the district of Rapale, where a yard has been set up to store the tree trunks.

He added that fines imposed for illegal logging had resulted in the collection of about 1.5 million meticais. However, this amount is expected to grow as some of the illegal operators have not yet paid their fines.

Along with the mandatory payment of fines, illegal loggers could face more severe punishment. Sande explained that the recently revised penal code states that the exploitation of forestry resources without a licence is a crime punishable by a prison sentence.

A recurring theme is that most logs are seized on their way to port. Earlier this month the head of Sofala’s provincial forestry and wildlife services, Paz Constino Martinho, lamented that the primary objective of the inspection regime is not to apply fines for transgressions, but to protect forest resources and the environment. He argued that there is no continuous control at the local level as a result of a shortage of inspectors.

African blackwood is a species threatened with extinction in Mozambique, and the government recently suspended all exploitation of this species for a five year period, in an attempt to allow reforestation.

Source: AIM