The Mozambican authorities have recovered the remaining seven containers, out of a total of 76, which had been illegally exported to China, an official source announced on Monday.
“The containers are the same and so is the wood. This wood is in a condition to be used for any other type of work,” said Cassimo Assane, delegate of Mozambique’s Environmental Quality Control Agency (Aqua).
The seven containers recovered are the last of a batch of 76 exported illegally in December 2020, via the port of Pemba, in Cabo Delgado province, and nine defendants have been charged with involvement in the case.
Among the defendants are eight Mozambicans and one Chinese citizen.
The Public Prosecutor has said it will speed up the process of selling the wood, to prevent it from losing its commercial value, while it awaits the decision of the provincial court.
“This is a material that can easily deteriorate and therefore it is necessary to use this wood,” stressed Noélia Madeira, a prosecutor in Cabo Delgado.
Several national and international reports have indicated that Mozambique is the scene of environmental crimes, mainly illegal logging, warning of the consequences of high levels of deforestation.
As a way to reduce the pressure on forest resources, some restrictive measures have been applied in the last five years to reverse the scenario.
In 2018, the Mozambican government issued new rules for the exploitation and export of wood, to curb the rampant felling of native species.
