Africa-Press – Mozambique. Illegal logging in Mozambique has cost the state around US$200 million (€180 million) a year, which is a “significant amount” for the country’s development, the Environment Ministry said on Monday.
The sum would serve, for example, to renew road infrastructure destroyed by cyclones or to renew external military support to combat terrorism in the north of the country for almost two years , according to figures consulted by Lusa.
The Mozambican government released the tax evasion figures on the International Day of Forests, which is marked today, after high-profile cases of interception of cargo for smuggling.
In 2021, the Mozambican authorities recovered 76 containers of wood that had been illegally exported to China.
The previous year, the authorities seized almost 2,000 logs from illegal logging in the central province of Tete.
“The country has been implementing measures to ensure the sustainable use of its forest heritage by combating trafficking, reducing deforestation and forest degradation,” the statement said.
Revision of the legal framework, implementation of a forest management system, evaluation of local authorities and operators are measures indicated by the government and promotion of planting.
In Mozambique, forests occupy 32 million hectares, or around 40% of the country’s total area, of which 17.2 million hectares have the potential for producing wood.
The forestry sector employs 14,000 people and has 1,000 operators, a fifth of whom are under concession and the remainder under simple licence.
