How the illegal wood of rosewood flourished despite the government's ban

General News of Saturday, June 8, 2019

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2019-06-08

In late 2013, former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Inusah Fuseini made a statement to the media announcing the government's ban on harvesting and exporting the species threatened with extinction, rosewood.

"As of January 1, 2014, the harvest and export of rosewood from this country are banned until further notice," he told reporters.

This decision was made necessary by the overexploitation of the species in the savanna zone of the country in the former regions of Brong Ahafo, North, the Middle East and the Upper West, as well as in certain parts of the regions. from the Volta and East.

Rosewood is a hardwood grain with a long-lasting, distinct grain that takes over a hundred years to mature. These are wild species that are not cultivated; they grow on their own.

As Fatawu Ayamga, an environmental activist, explains, rosewood is used for "interior design of ships – luxurious and expensive ships, interior design of planes – expensive ones, we are told that they use it to make rifle fangs because they are durable. "

Fatawu Ayamga, environmental activist

"The most expensive bed in the world is made of rosewood essences. So you can see how precious this species is, "he added.

A large part of the rosewood trees are harvested and exported to China and Europe. Before the announcement of the ban, it was estimated that more than half of the species available in the Savannah region had been harvested and exported after three years. Subsequent Ministers of Lands and Natural Resources, Nii Osah Mills and John Peter Amewu, renewed the ban in late 2014 and 2017, respectively.

Current Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Kwaku Asumah Kyeremeh, said the ban was still in effect. "The rosewood, indeed, prohibits the exploitation of this particular species. Because of the ban, no one can go to the forest or the field to harvest rosewood, "he said in response to a question from Joy News at a point Press.

Ground checks

But the controls show that the rosewood harvest is still going on. The Joy News documentary hotline visited the Tumu Forest Reserve, in the eastern district of Sissala, and discovered that the collection of this species was endemic.

After about an hour walking in the forest reserve, we observed cut rosewood stems scattered in different parts of the forest. With the help of heavy machinery, the loggers cut the tree in the top of the root, leaving the rest of the stem sitting there. We counted at least six along the path to a stream that runs through the forest reserve.

We saw trees felled in forests as if nobody wanted them with evergreen leaves and a thick liquid draining them. The lumberjacks came back in the middle of the night to pack them. Next to the stream, we counted about twenty freshly cut rosewood trees, and about six others along the trail.

Minister's reaction

When the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources was questioned about this, he insisted that the felled trees could only be those that had been cut down before the entry into force of the ban. "All those who sell rosewood today are people who had already harvested and we gave permission to save them in certain areas. So, if you see few people taking care of rosewood, that's the reason, "he said.

But the cut rosewoods we saw were clearly freshly cut ones. The leaves were green. Thick and cool liquids were still flowing to them. Shouts of tires from large vehicles carrying forest wood were still visible on the ground. Fatawu Ayamga who drove us into the forest reserve claimed; "They were cut less than a week ago."

The Forest Protection Act 174 categorically states that "a person who neglects to fell a tree in a forest reserve commits an offense and is liable to summary conviction of 39, a maximum fine of 500 units of punishment or a maximum term of imprisonment of two years or both. But no one has ever been imprisoned for this destruction in the Tumu Forest Reserve.

Slaughter in other areas

In other areas of the Far East and Far West, including the districts of Kbadena Nankana, Builsa North, Builsa South, Talensi and Bawku. Illegal logging of rosewood trees also took place.

A presiding member of the Builsa South District Assembly, AjukRichard, says officials of the Forestry Commission have been compromised to allow illegal activities to flourish. "I have a problem with the Forestry Commission; whenever illegal activity is ongoing and you report it, it will not come, "he said.

"Obviously, if that's not happening, I do not think anyone will come to say," I have a certificate to pbad on "and you do not know what the person is going to forward and you gave it to him. the person permission to go to the forest; what to do? So for me, there is a compromise problem along the line, "added Ajuk.

Daniel Kwame Gariba, Director General of Builsa South District, said that many steps had been taken to end the rosewood cutting, including the establishment of a task force, but admitted that "the" they had the challenge to stop it completely.

Asked about evidence of continued logging of trees, as he had discovered Joy's press team, he said; "I'm surprised to hear that! We do not neglect the fact that people can not stop participating in this exercise, but what I'm saying is; whoever does it now does it under cover. But before, it was so open.

Permit issued

Analysts say the government has not acted the same way the government faces the threat of cutting rosewood. Despite the ban hitting its harvests since 2014, the government is concerned that a large number of rosewood logs have been logged before the entry into force of the ban. .

The government also claimed that some other rosewood species had fallen as a result of a strong storm and other natural circumstances across the savannah and transition zones, which could lose their economic value.

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources issued salvage permits to at least 22 companies between 2016 and 2018 to deliver the logs to the ground. They include NicdamVentures Limited, Igram Company Limited, Trans-Atlantic Logistics Limited, Musco Asante Limited, JusdalPlus Company Limited, Chrisgyaf Company Limited, Kamvis Company Limited, Delwinde Enterprise, MembroLimited, Sontruk Investment Limited and Xylogi Limited.

The others are: Turnsole Furniture Company Limited, JB Connect Limited, Royal Space, Attakey Limited, Trucking and Construction Limited, Ghanwood Limited, System Environ-Tech, K. Gyamfuaa Company Limited, Kenasa Plus Limited, Steve Abundant Grace and SoftradeImpex Limited.

DCE of Builsa South, Daniel Gariba, is convinced that these companies are responsible for the new crop. "Their excuse has always been not to cut fresh wood, but to recover fallen wood from the forest. I do not believe this because I went into operation several times and you see that the woods were cut in the fresh state. But the Forestry Commission will intervene to say that it is a recovered wood and not freshly cut wood, "he said.

Activist Bawa Ayamga says he is disappointed by the government.

"I would first like to express my disappointment at the current government, which has even campaigned for the protection of our vegetation. (They) came to power and we were given permission to give to people who told us that it was a form of compensation to get into our fragile ground cover to harvest the rosewood. " , did he declare.

Moses Luri, CEO of the local development NGO SLIDEP, says the confusion in the political direction is not healthy. "How can you ban and at the same time sign a surrender certificate," he questioned.

Mr. Clement Apaak, a member of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, wants the government to badist and treat the perpetrators of the act of destruction. "I have called for the creation of a working group similar to the one we have on the Galamsey issue because most of these types of people under contract with these companies to fell trees are armed." And they have good resources. We need to take a very radical approach to solve this problem, "he said.

Watch the full documentary of the Killing Our Roses hotline, released in February 2019 on Joy News TV at the link below: