The government says it seized 31,896 cubic meters of various types of illegally harvested wood last year alone. This included firewood and building materials, but also unprocessed logs and some sawn timber.

The information was given this Friday by the Minister for Land and the Environment, Ivete Maibaze, during a national meeting held to present proposals for regulating the forestry law.

Maibaze said at the time that the government has made efforts to reduce acts that threaten the sustainability of the country's forests.

"Since 2020, there have been 8,902 inspections of forest areas, culminating in 4,970 fines against operators working illegally," she revealed.

According to the source, the fines totaled the equivalent of 8.9 million dollars, but so far only 4.9 million dollars have been paid.

She added that the authorities had recovered 69 of the 76 containers full of wood that were being illegally exported to China, from the port of Pemba, in northern Mozambique.

Also at the same event, it was announced that the authorities had foiled another attempt to export 12 containers of illegal timber. Four of the containers are in the northern port of Nacala and eight in the central port of Quelimane.

Photo DR