Mozambique has failed to comply with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulations guiding the export of African blackwood (pau- preto).
This non-compliance includes numerous issues related to illegal logging activities.
According to the African Blackwood Conservation, the tree is found in 26 African countries, from Transvaal in South Africa to Senegal in Western Africa north of Ethiopia, Angola and in western India.
It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN red data list.
Ernesto Witimane Júnior, from the Forestry Department at Maputo’s Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), said Mozambique must adopt measures to address the smuggling of endangered forest species to protect government revenue.
“Trafficking networks that operate with impunity in the sector, must be held accountable” said Witimane.
Wood from the tree is relatively expensive because it is used in the production of luxury furniture and musical instruments, in Asia and Europe. But the rise of smuggling of African Blackwoods has placed Mozambique under immense global pressure.
The Environmental Investigation Agency found over 89% of timber exported from Mozambique’s five districts (Cabo Delgado, Montepuez, Balama, Namuno, Mueda, and Muidumbe) to China between 2017 and 2023, amounting to about to 3.7 million tons, did not comply with the national log export ban. This is estimated at US$1.3 billion.
Picture: Global Wood Markets Info