Illegal logging menace continues in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province
As first appeared in Noticias in Mozambique, here. Written by Jonas Wazir.
December 15 2022
Logging companies are renting their licence to unauthorised corporations that do not follow sustainability measures
Deforestation has severe consequences such as exacerbating climate change, desertification, soil erosion, lower crop yields and flooding. Image by Immo Weggmann.
Members of the Natural Resource Management Committee (NRMC) in some regions in Montepuez district in northern Mozambique, are concerned about licence renting, a new phenomenon where timber exploration licences are rented by the official companies operating in that region. The committee members are defending legal prosecution in cases of irregularities.
Local residents warn that licence renting is speeding up forest devastation, allegedly because most companies renting licences are not accountable on replanting felled trees in the region. In addition to cutting small trees despite this being illegal, the companies also use uncontrolled burning, contributing to environmental damage.
Community members interviewed by this outlet were unanimous, saying that timber forests have always existed, serving their ancestors, and have continued to serve them as they want it to serve their next generation. They also think that beyond agricultural purposes, forests can be a source of medicinal plants, wood fuel, timber for house construction and many other purposes.
This reporter travelled to Montepuez, specifically to the Nairoto administrative area, 175 miles away from Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado province. This region is famously rich in high commercial-value wood resources like, umbila, pau preto, pau ferro, chanfuta and many other species, most of them explored for export to Asian markets, especially China.
Nairoto shares a border with Mueda district, another area with a huge potential for legal timber. Many trees are taken to Montepuez village from these two areas to be processed and exported through Pemba port.
According to sources on the ground, there are illegal operators inside the exploration process, entering other properties and felling trees without a licence. They are sometimes covered by licensed companies, who earn profits from this illegal business. This is happening because forest activity law allows the operators to rent their permit to other companies.
Our reporters also travelled to Ntola and Nanhupo villages, where NRMC members have shown concern about this licence renting, saying that all the exploration companies authorised by the forest services in the region have rented their own licences to Chinese citizens, who are logging on the ground.
President of the NRMC for Nanhupo village, Dinis Atimo, says that since the beginning of forest exploration season in 2020, until now, licence owners have never appeared in the village, not even for small permits nor concessions. In their places are Chinese companies.
“We are worried about this because there is a lot of disorder and we do not have a good relationship with the Chinese. We can not obey these companies to follow the rules because they are not the ones who have signed an agreement with us. As you know there is a commitment that licence owners have accepted to fill, when we had public appointments,” our source said.
Atimo added that the region is struggling with lack of rain, something that did not happen in the past. “Massive felling of trees by these companies is behind the lack of rain. I have been listening to the radio that we are dealing with climate change all across the world, and I think if we don't do anything about these irregularities on timber exploration, we may have serious problems in the future.”
“The government should review forestry law, at least come and talk to us to understand if our committees are in favour or against renting licences. It’s a must that a company which is renting a permit is known by the community, and during this licence passing process, we don't want to be suprised by foreign companies inside villages just because the owner has determined by himself.
In fact, Rogerio Tique, Momade Abdul Satar and Assane Manuel were the three companies licensed to explore wood in the Nanhupo region. The last one is a concession regime. The source says that foreign companies are operating in the place of these licensed companies who are sending their employees to cover them, and according to the NRMC president, this is causing more friction between explorers and the community.
Our source said that two years ago, when licensed companies used to explore wood by themselves, it was possible to raise their contribution, such as construction and sound amplification of a local mosque, construction of a classroom and plastic chairs for the committee.
For Alimo Faque from Nacocolo village, the licence renting phenomenon is bringing a lot of disorder in wood exploration activities and many conflicts in communities.
“Foreign companies appear and bring logging promoters, who are invading other´s properties to cut timber without solving community problems such as lack of water sources among other situations,” he said.
For the Nacocolo NRMC, in the middle of all this question there is a number of accountable companies. He was referring to the Panga company that holds a concession licence and has rented it to a Chinese company which was introduced to communities and operates without any problems operating beside the local community.
“We have problems with a licensed national company named Nádia Francisco, which has rented a licence to a Chinese company that is not giving us any space for dialogue. We don't know how much timber they are exploring right now. We don't know if they are following the rules about legal quantities to explore per year. On the other hand, the Panga company sorted out the lack of water in the village since it began to operate, but the other company is doing nothing.”
Meanwhile, Lee Yafei, representative for Yafei International which has a concession for timber exploration at the Mirate administrative area in Montepuez, is the only person who agreed to talk to our outlet. He said that his company never came to rent a licence from anybody or company, and they have a sawmill which absorbs the wood processed in the forest, where replanting is also done.
“We feel sorry for this phenomenon, because everyday after planting new trees on the field there comes a fire swallowing the few plants left from. We don’t complain about logging because we do have inspectors controlling our perimeter as we have a very good relationship with surrounding communities,” Yafei said.
In fact, according to Land Law No. 10/99 of 7th july, and its regulation, published through Decree No.12/2022 of 6th june, we can understand that it is not forbidden by law, for third persons to explore forest resources on licensed areas. This legal instrument covers partnerships that licence owners may have.
Legal obligations for licensed companies according to forest law is to accomplish all requested procedures previewed in the environmental impact study, approved by the environment department, including assumed agreements with communities on the record of public meetings.
Montepuez district administrator, Isaura Máquina, said authorities don’t have any information coming from communities about foreign companies spreading and renting licences form local authorised operators, mostly from companies that are not willing to carry out the law related to timber exploration.
She added that they haven’t received a report informing that from any community, because there is a department that works with forest exploration subjects.
Miss Máquina raised the hypothesis that there might have information related to this, in the economic activities bureau, making an exception that if such problems existed, certainly the district director himself would share with the district government, but also said that will search on the ground for popular reports.
Momade Alvaro, head executive for the forest plantation department in the provincial environment services, in an interview for Noticia newspaper, was adamant that any operator is licensed without being approved by communities, remembering that it is not possible to o a foreign company to come in the village and start slaughtering trees.
“For us to give a licence, operators need to bring all documents where the most important request is a letter from the district administration chairman saying that this company has done all agreements with the community. This procedure also happens if a company wants to bring a partner for exploring timber, has to show up these commitments like, replanting slaughtered trees, to have social responsibility and others,” he said.
Alvaro said that in many cases, this illegal wood exploration phenomenon or slaughtering spread on this activity is happening with local communities' help, and is calling their attention for better surveillance to find the criminals.
“In our days with this abnormal situation in Cabo Delgado province, related to terrorism, nobody is thinking of reaching a community and starting to cut wood unless they know it. most probably populations are those who have to report or move out operators that misbehave,”- he added.
Regarding this slaughtering phenomenon on wood exploration, our source said that this is happening far away from authorities’ control, accepting that there are some cases running off our sight but we have been making a big effort to stop illegal exploration activities, always counting with our communities support, which are reporting while we are taking legal procedures.
Our report found that seven wood processing machines were installed in Montepuez village, most of them belonging to Chinese companies. The processing plants absorb wild timber that comes from beyond Montepuez forests, including neighbour districts like Mueda, Namuno and Balama, where wood is brought from that city and in many cases, illegally obtained.
Further investigation found that often in Montepuez village, smugglers mix up wild timber into processed ones to scam the authorities. At Pemba Port, smuggling operations have been discovered several times where the wood is ready to ship for China. The most recent incident was three months ago.
Data provided by provincial environment authorities show that seven companies have been authorised to operate in this season, and 19 have received concessions for timber exploration, making a total of twenty six companies, 13 of which have exploration licences in Montepuez district.
Smuggled wood sales generated tens of millions of meticais, while authorities raised over 10,558 meticais from a public sale of more than 800 cubic metres of wood which were seized from smuggling operations.
Our source revealed that the wood for sale is part of the 72 containers that were to be illegally exported to China and after seizure, according to Mozambique’s forest resources law, the product had to be sold and the money given to the State.
The same data indicates that those 800 cubic metres are the same that were being exported without transformation in unauthorised dimensions for export. It also indicates that regarding that quantity, 25 cubic metres were transformed into 50 school desks.
It's important to remember that more than 100 containers containing a diversity of forbidden wood species were seized in Pemba port last year, when it was ready to ship to China, but was immediately unlocked and delivered to the offender company for further judicial procedures.
Under uncertain circumstances, the offending company escaped from authorities eyes and shipped part of the wood, or exactly 72 containers. The ship disappeared in secret from {emba port straight to china. Only when the ship reached international waters, it was possible for provincial authorities to send an international warrant and return the load to Pemba port.
After this wood seizure 10 individuals including public employees, forest guards, customs and defence forces officers and a Chinese citizen were charged for environment corruption crimes and facilitating illegal wood packaging. The accused were arrested by authorities for prosecution but were later released on bail and are awaiting judgement.
On the other hand , forest sector data indicates that about 18,000 cubic metres were authorised to be felled this year, but until august only 3,000 cubic metres have been paid for through licences, amounting to 10,577 meticais fitting by the state. This is equal to say that gathering the value from wood public sales and licence fees, the forest sector has fit for the state a total amount of 21,125 meticais.
Looking at the forest licence process, provincial environment services have authorised licences for wood construction material, and also allowed for 150,000 acres but only 7,000 have been authorised to date.
This article is reproduced here as part of the African Conservation Journalism Programme, funded in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe by USAID’s VukaNow: Activity. Implemented by the international conservation organisation Space for Giants, it aims to expand the reach of conservation and environmental journalism in Africa, and bring more African voices into the international conservation debate. Written articles from the Mozambican and Angolan cohorts are translated from Portuguese. Broadcast stories remain in the original language.
