 The government in Sierra Leone announced Friday an immediate ban on
the transport and export of logs, in an effort to crackdown on a
largely uncontrolled, multi-million-dollar industry.
President
Ernest Koroma's office said in a statement that "illegal logging is
having adverse effect on the country's environment and depleting the
ozone layer and most be stopped with immediate effect".
It warned that violations of the logging export ban could result in court fines and confiscation of property.
At
least 10 logging companies are officially registered in the West
African nation but dozens of others operate illegally, said the
executive director of the Sierra Leone Environmental Group, Emmanuel
Touray.
Trade and customs officials told AFP that tens of
millions of dollars worth of logs were smuggled out of the country to
Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian countries to be made into furniture
and household decorations.
Government forestry guards said that
between January to November last year 10,000 power saws and other tree
felling implements were confiscated from "dodgy loggers" operating deep
in the country's lush forests.
Court proceedings against those
who are caught drag on for months often end up with minimal fines of
200 to 500 dollars, a senior guard said, speaking on condition of
anonymity.
"I think the ban is the most effective punishment so
far and I hope the government will seize the opportunity to draft new
legislation to protect our forest and the environment," he said.
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