Mozambique’s National Agency for Environmental Quality Control (AQUA IP) on Tuesday seized 150 sacks of charcoal in Maputo province.
In a statement, AQUA reported that a heavy vehicle was intercepted yesterday morning during routine forest inspection operations in the city and province of Maputo, southern Mozambique. The charcoal was being transported “without the proper legal documentation, constituting an illegal situation.”
According to the National Agency for Environmental Quality Control, when stopped, the vehicle’s occupants fled, abandoning the vehicle on a public road.
“The agency reaffirms its commitment to protecting forest resources, combating the illegal exploitation and trade of forest products, and promoting environmental legality throughout the national territory,” the statement reads.
In December, Lusa reported that Mozambique loses around 500 million dollars (424.3 million euros) annually due to “unsustainable” practices in the forestry sector, such as illegal logging and slash-and-burn agriculture, according to estimates by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
According to a statement from the non-governmental organisation (NGO), which promotes responsible forest management worldwide, the forestry sector supports millions of rural Mozambicans through timber, charcoal, employment, and other forest activities.
In August 2024, the Mozambican Attorney General declared that the country would move beyond “empty speeches” and take punitive measures against inspectors involved in deforestation and illegal exploitation of forest resources.
Lusa also reported last March that the Mozambican government planned to hire 750 inspectors this year for ports, border posts, and conservation areas.
Source: Lusa