One of the world’s largest shipping lines has announced a moratorium on the transport of any wood from The Gambia. A BBC Africa Eye investigation revealed in March that vast quantities of protected West African Rosewood was being trafficked through the country. Most of it ends up in China, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) found. Gambian authorities have previously denied any involvement in the smuggling. Rosewood is a family of tropical tree species widely used for furniture in Asia and in particular China. By value and by volume, rosewood is the most trafficked wildlife product in the world. In June, the EIA published a report saying shipping companies were transporting contraband timber from The Gambia to China. Three months previously, Africa Eye published an investigation into the million-dollar trade in trafficked rosewood. Shipping company Compagnie Maritime d’Affrètement Compagnie Générale Maritime (CMA CGM), the world’s fourth largest, said that it had done its own investigations as a result of the evidence uncovered by the BBC and EIA.
SOURCE: BBC
More Stories
A Mangrove Project is the Star of Kenya’s Gazi Bay
Not Enough Females Operating in the African Venture Capital Space
Slavery has a Complex Legacy in Niger
Human Trafficking in Tanzania Exposed
Many African Countries are Also Grappling with a Serious Dollar Shortage Crisis
Harare’s New Scheme to Curb an Economic Collapse
South Africa Closes Off Youth Month on a Tragic Note
Activists Want Morocco to Account for Border Deaths
The Digital Economy as an Important Driver of Long-term Growth in Africa
The Work Must Continue… Equity & Innovation for Africa’s Recovery
Botswana and Cape Verde Moved to Level 3- High Risk
10 Best Experiences in Kenya