How Cameroon’s Stolen Wood Reaches International Markets
A Greenpeace Africa investigation into illegal logging operations in
Cameroon has uncovered a trail of stolen timber leading to Cameroon’s
main log exporter Compagnie de Commerce et de Transport (CCT), and has
reportedly prompted a government audit into the activities of CCT and
its suppliers. That audit should include the supplier La Socamba, subject of a Greenpeace briefing released today.
The evidence presented in the briefing, La Socamba: How Cameroon’s
Stolen Wood Reaches International Markets, demonstrates how CCT, which
supplies timber companies worldwide, including in China and Europe,
sources timber from La Socamba, a company engaged in illegal and
destructive practices, including logging several kilometers outside
their legal logging title. This new case complements evidence already
presented by Greenpeace in its reports on CCT suppliers.[1]
On 25 May, in response to Greenpeace offer of a right to
response, CCT admitted that Cameroon’s Ministry of Forests and Wildlife
(MINFOF) had ordered an audit of the activities of CCT and its suppliers
to determine which were involved in illegal activities and to trace the
resulting timber. [2]
“Greenpeace Africa takes note of the audit of CCT’s practices –
but stresses that this process should be independent and transparent,
and that CCT suppliers are properly sanctioned when illegal activities
are confirmed”, said Eric Ini, Greenpeace Africa forest campaigner.
In September 2015, Greenpeace published three cases of illegal
logging in permits supplying CCT: logging permits exploited by South
Forestry Company (SFC), FEEMAM and SOFOCAM. The Minister of Forestry,
Ngole Philip Ngwese, has proclaimed the innocence of companies exposed
by Greenpeace for their involvement in illegal logging.[3]
Yet, one of the companies investigated by Greenpeace, SFC has
been fined by the authorities twice for exactly the kind of practices
Greenpeace exposed, and CCT and its suppliers are now apparently subject
to an investigation by MINFOF [4]. In addition, the Dutch authorities
sanctioned the Dutch importer of CCT timber based on the Greenpeace
evidence [5].
”If Cameroon is serious about ending the illegal timber trade, it
must work closely with the EU towards credible implementation of the
Voluntary Partnership Agreement and, as a first priority, to
re-establish a system of credible Independent Monitoring of Forest Law
Enforcement, Governance and Trade in Cameroon”, concluded Ini.
Next to Belgium and the Netherlands, the UK government also regards
timber from Cameroon as “high risk” and has recently investigated UK
operators trading in Cameroon timber. These actions from the UK
government and the sanction from the Dutch Authorities are positive
first steps. However, all EU countries must treat timber from Cameroon
as high risk, and require stringent due diligence standards from
importing companies until the government of Cameroon can prove beyond
reasonable doubts that it is properly enforcing the country’s forestry
laws and regulations.
While carrying out research for the La Socamba briefing, Greenpeace
undertook field investigations in October 2014 and January 2016 to
document areas where permits for destructive “cut-and-run” logging,
known as “sales of standing volume” (or VCs, from the French ventes de coupe),
have been issued to CCT suppliers and recorded testimonies from local
residents and authorities, as well as ex-employees. [6] Greenpeace also
discovered timber carrying the permit number VC 09 01 203 – issued to La
Socamba– discarded up to 8km outside the logging title.
Cameroon’s forests support the livelihoods of thousands of people and
are amongst the region’s most biologically diverse forests, providing
valuable habitat for endangered Western Lowland Gorillas, chimpanzees
and forest elephants, amongst other species. Unsustainable and illegal
logging in these forests is leading to deforestation, destruction of the
ecosystem and diminished resilience to climate change.
The briefing, La Socamba: How Cameroon’s Stolen Wood Reaches International Markets,can be downloaded from here .
The briefing is also available in French here .
A storymap, with photographs documenting the journey of timber illegally felled by La Socamba can be viewed here.
ENDS
Contacts
Eric Ini, forest campaigner, Greenpeace Africa, +237 655 304 948, eini@greenpeace.org
Greenpeace International Press Desk, 
+31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours),pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org
+31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours),pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org
Notes:
[1] The Greenpeace report CCT’S Timber Trade
from Cameroon to Europe listed CCT’s main 2014 suppliers, providing
evidence that several were involved in illegal logging activities. A
frequently observed infringement was that of logging outside the
boundaries of the VC, then subsequent declaring of this illegal wood as
originating from the legal logging title (“laundering the timber”).
Monsieur,
A la demande de Greenpeace, le MINFOF a commandité un audit en
cours sur les activités de CCT a ses fournisseurs. Le rapport attendu
établira la responsabilités des uns et des autres dans des éventuelles
activités illégales en meme temps qu’il tracera éventuellement les bois
qui en sont issus.
Veuillez agréer l’expression de mes sentiments distingués.
Antoine EL-CHAYEB
CCT
[3] MINFOF (2016). N°0031/CP/MINFOF/SG/CC.
Communiqué de presse. Le Cameroun défendra l’idéal de la gestion durable
des forêts tropicales en dépit de l’acharnement injustifié de
Greenpeace, March 11, 2016.
[4] On 23 June 2015 SFC was fined 38.595.237
francs CFA (around 58.800 EUR) for logging beyond the allowed period in
VC 09 01 305. On 18 January 2016 the company was fined another 6.499.810
francs CFA (around 9.900 EUR) for out-of-boundary logging in an
unspecified VC. Source: MINFOF. Communiqué N° 0064/C/MINFOF/CAB/BNC of
28 April 2016
[5] The dutch Competent Authorities stated that: “Because
of the political situation in the Congo Basin, timber from Cameroon may
only be placed on the market if the importer has taken sufficient
mitigating measures to make sure the risk that the timber is illegally
harvested is negligible”
[6] “Sales of standing volume” (hereinafter referred to as VCs from the French ventes de coupe).
VCs cover an area of maximum 2500 hectares and have a validity of
maximum three years (Art. 55, Law N° 94/01). VC logging represents
“cut-and-run” logging of a highly destructive nature: typically they are
rapidly exploited in a highly destructive manner, as no management plan
is legally required. There is frequent fraud and corruption in the
allocation of the permits, which is also frequently associated to
illegal logging (CONAC, 2012) (Hoare, 2015).
Hoare, A. (2015). Illegal logging and related trade. The response in
Cameroon. A Chatham House Assessment. London: Chatham House – The Royal
Institute of International Affairs. Retrieved from
République du Cameroun. Présidence de la République. Commission Nationale Anti-Corruption (CONAC). (2012). Rapport sur l’état de la lutte contre la corruption au Cameroun en 2011.
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