Nampula: Illegally logged wood on its way to become school furniture in the same districts it was taken from

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Nampula: Illegally logged wood on its way to become school furniture in the same districts it was taken from

9:38 CAT | 29 Mar 2016

Notícias

The forestry authorities in the northern Mozambican province of Nampula are going to collect about 2500 logs from illegal loggers. Some of this wood will be used to build school furniture that will later be placed back on the districts it was taken from, reports the Maputo daily “Noticias”.

The head of the provincial forestry and wild life services, Luis Sande, told reporters that transport is being mobilized to bring all confiscated logs, and logs left abandoned by the roadside, to the provincial capital, Nampula city. This wood will be processed and turned into desks and other items of school furniture.

“We are contacting managers of sawmills and carpentry workshops in order to make use of some of this wood for school furniture”, said Sande. “It will then be sent to the districts where the logs were seized, in order to equip schools there”.

Wood not used for schools would be sold to make commercial furniture, and the money raised will be channelled into the state budget.

In Nampula, as in the rest of the country, the forests are under attack from illegal loggers, partly because of a severe shortage of forest wardens. Sande said that currently Nampula only has 68 forest wardens – but to protect the province’s forests, another 100 wardens are needed.

The major priority for the forestry authorities are the four districts that are worst affected by illegal logging – namely Mecuburi, Angoche, Eratti and Ribaue.

Source: AIM