Luena – Twenty-five companies have given up timber exploration activities in the province of Moxico, from 2017 to the present, revealed today, in Luena, the president of the Provincial Association of Loggers, Frederico Salvador Paulino.
In an interview with ANGOP, he pointed out the prohibition of the exploitation of the mussivi species (scientific name guiborcia coleosperma), precarious roads, the supposed dubious supervision of the national police and administrative agents as top reasons.
The person in charge explained that most explorers were only interested in the Mussivi species, due to its economic value on the national and international market.
On the other hand, Frederico Salvador Paulino regretted that other loggers remained inactive for two years (2019 and 2020), due to the ban, under Executive Decree No. 278/18 of 7 August, forcing some timber loggers to take risks and reorganize its activity.
In 2023, the province of Moxico had authorization to harvest 22 thousand cubic meters of wood, a figure that represented an increase of three thousand cubic meters, compared to the quota made available in 2022.
Angola has an estimated natural forest surface of 53 million hectares, which corresponds to approximately half (43 percent) of the national territory. The country has an estimated annual cutting capacity of 326 thousand cubic meters of wood, thousands of tons of coal and firewood.
Of the 53 million hectares, the province of Moxico has 380 thousand, making it the second largest in the country, after Cabinda. MT/LTY/YD/DOJ
