Sierra Leone has banned timber export due to the thefts from China and other foreign countries.
“They simply invaded us and started cutting down our forests”, stated the Minister of Environment of Sierra Leone, Sam Sesay.
He declared that the interdiction would remain active until a law will be stated in favour of the local communities, which benefit from this sector.
All these take place a month later since President Ernest Bai Koroma declared Gola Forest a National Park.
Foreign companies are compensating the local populations from the edge of the forest, close to the Liberian Border.
Researchers reported that the cutting activities have caused severe environmental problems in other West African countries, including the Ivory Coast, Guinea and Liberia.
Conservation Policy
The Ministry of Environment official, Hassab Mohammed reported that the massive cutting in the north have caused severe soil erosion which have forced the local communities to relocate. He added that Sierra Leone is being invaded by these companies because of the interdiction of cutting from the Ivory Coast and Guinea.
“The majority of those who come here are Chinese, Ivorian or Guineas who, although aware of the law regarding business management in this sector, chose to ignore it”, declares Mr. Sesay.
In this matter no official response has been received from the Chinese authorities.
“Unfortunately, even though the previous government had banned cutting, there were no effective measures taken to impose this law”.
The new law against massive cutting will assure the replantation of the trees and the future of the local communities implicated in this sector.
Nowadays, the logs imported from Sierra Leone are transported raw, without VAT and without any benefit for the country’s economy. |
