A haul of illegally-loggedtropical hardwood that triggered a major scandal in Gabon is to be auctioned, the environment ministry has said.

In February, the authorities seized 353 container-loads of kevazingo, a precious wood that is highly prized in Asia but which is protected under Gabonese law, at two Chinese-owned depots at the Owendo port in the capital Libreville.

Some of the containers bore the stamp of the forestry ministry to give authenticity to their export.

The ensuing scandal, dubbed kevazingogate, led to the government sacking the vice president, the forestry minister and several senior civil servants.

In a statement late Sunday, the environment ministry said that 125 of the 353 containers, amounting to 1,500 cubic metres (53,000 cubic feet) of kevazingo, had now been transferred out of the port.

The transfer to a designated timber store "aimed at converting this illegal timber into legal timber which is authorised for sale," it said.

This part of the haul will be "valuated and then sold (at auction) for state coffers," which could bring in 45 billion CFA francs ($76 million, 69 million euros), it said.

Logging is big money in the central African nation, which is almost 80 percent covered by forests. The timber industry accounts for 17,000 jobs and 60 percent of non-oil related GDP.

The new forestry minister appointed by President Ali Bongo is Lee White -- a British-born environmental campaigner who has lived for years in Gabon, battling to conserve its forests and wildlife.

Related Links
Forestry News - Global and Local News, Science and Application

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Mexican start-up fights air pollution with artificial trees
Puebla, Mexico (AFP) Aug 15, 2019
Trees are one of the best things we have to clean the Earth's air, but they have certain drawbacks: they need time and space to grow. Enter the BioUrban, an artificial tree that sucks up as much air pollution as 368 real trees. Designed by a Mexican start-up, the towering metal structure uses microalgae to clean carbon dioxide and other contaminants from the air, returning pure oxygen to the environment. Measuring 4.2 meters (nearly 14 feet) tall and nearly three meters wide, the device look ... read more