. Earth Science News .
WOOD PILE
Gabon suspends permit for Chinese logger after watchdog probe
by Staff Writers
Libreville (AFP) April 12, 2019

Gabon has suspended a logging licence issued to a Chinese timber company after a British watchdog group, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), accused the firm of bribery and breaches of forestry laws.

The EIA, in a report on March 25, said Dejia Group "routinely bribes ministers" in Gabon and the neighbouring Republic of Congo.

The group has "continuously broken the most fundamental forest laws, has turned timber trade regulations upside-down, and has diverted millions in unpaid taxes" from both countries, it said.

It added that "illegally-sourced timber" from Dejia was entering European and US markets, gulling consumers who believed the product they were buying met environmental standards.

The Foresty and Environment Minister, Guy Bertrand Mapangou, on March 29 blasted the report, calling it biased and "inquisitorial" and seeking to "discredit" the country, but indicated the authorities would carry out an inquiry.

In a statement received by AFP on Friday, the ministry said investigators had probed a Dejia subsidiary in Gabon, the Societe de Sciage de Moanda (SSMO).

"It has emerged from cartographical data and from facts established on the ground that SSMO's executives have continued" to illegally log two forest sites, it said.

The executives "reportedly benefitted from collusion" with civil servants, it said, adding that an investigation into these employees was now underway.

SSMO's licence to log at the two sites has been suspended "as a precautionary measure" and "all logs found (there) have been confiscated," the statement said.

Tropical timber is a vital resource for Gabon, accounting for 60 percent of GDP if the oil sector, the country's principal source of income, is excluded.

The country styles itself as a custodian of the forests, but these claims are being increasingly challenged by campaigners.

On March 6, the group Conservation Justice said customs officers had seized a huge haul of kevazingo, a precious wood whose exploitation is banned in Gabon because it is considered sacred.

About 1,000 cubic metres (35,300 feet) of kevazingo -- around 30 large container-loads -- were confiscated along with other wood in a warehouse at a timber port on the Libreville peninsula.

The head of the Chinese business that owned the warehouse and two other employees had been arrested, the group said.

Marc Ona, head of a Gabonese environmental group called Brainforest, said that without the EIA report, "the ministry perhaps would not have carried out the inquiry" into SSMO.

"This means that, in the ministry, there isn't a team to check that loggers are upholding the law," Ona said.

cma/stb/jlb/ri/dcr

ONA


Related Links
Forestry News - Global and Local News, Science and Application


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


WOOD PILE
Help NASA Measure Trees with Your Smartphone
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Mar 27, 2019
Healthy forests play an crucial role in Earth's ecosystem as growing trees take up carbon from the atmosphere. NASA satellites and airborne missions study forests to see how carbon moves through ecosystems - and now citizen scientists can help investigate this key question as well by using their smartphone to measure tree height. The GLOBE Observer app provides a step-by-step guide for people to collect scientific data on their surroundings. With the new GLOBE Trees feature of the app, observers r ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

WOOD PILE
Pentagon awards $976M on two contracts for border wall

Japan slams WTO ruling on S. Korea Fukushima food row

Earth's recovery from mass extinction could take millions of years

Gun control, climate: a new US generation takes to the barricades

WOOD PILE
Study shows potential for Earth-friendly plastic replacement

NASA awards contract to Auburn University's National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence

China's virtual reality arcades aim for real-world success

Maxar and NASA complete Design Review for Restore-L On-Orbit Servicing Spacecraft Bus

WOOD PILE
Iraq seeks to reassure over reservoirs and dam pressures

Global warming disrupts recovery of coral reefs

Scientists prevent supercooled water from freezing

Historic water levels at Iraq reservoirs and dams: officials

WOOD PILE
The oldest ice on Earth may be able to solve the puzzle of the planet's climate history

NASA Begins Final Year of Airborne Polar Ice Mission

Woolly mammoths, Neanderthals had similar genetic traits

Melting glaciers causing sea levels to rise at ever greater rates

WOOD PILE
Genome assembly of pasta wheat leads to new insights for modern wheat breeding

Genetic breakthrough on tropical grass could help develop climate-friendly cattle farms

Just how much does enhancing photosynthesis improve crop yield?

Farming for natural profits in China

WOOD PILE
Scientists discover causes of deadliest volcanic hazards

Brazil flooding unleashes caimans in Rio neighborhood

Mapping Armaggedon: Earth's looming tsunamis and mega-quakes

California's current earthquake hiatus is an unlikely pause

WOOD PILE
Sudan army ranks seem to be tilting towards protestors: analysts

30 jihadists 'killed or captured' in French-Malian raids near Burkina

Sudan army ousts Bashir, protestors vow further demos

Defiant Sudan protesters seek army talks

WOOD PILE
New branches of the Denisovan family tree discovered in Indonesia

Indigenous groups warn of 'apocalypse' with Brazil's Bolsonaro

New species of early human found in cave in the Philippines

Is Earth Quarantined? Researchers Meet to Try Shed Light on Alien Riddle









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.