The Special Delegate of the Departmental Council of Ogooué and Lakes had set up a sawmill for the clandestine production of boards in the middle of the forest in surroundings of Lake Oguemoué near Lambaréné © CJ
A Member of the Special Delegation in charge of the Departmental Council involved in a case of illegal logging in the Department of Ogooué and Lacs near Lambaréné in the centre of the country, according to a press release from the NGO Conservation Justice.
Denounced in a case of illegal logging near Lake Oguemoué, Mr. NA, member of the Special Delegation in charge of the Departmental Council of Ogooué and Lakes, has just been pinned at the end of a joint mission led by the Water and Forests administration, the Lambaréné Judicial Police, supported by the NGO Conservation Justice. The mission, which took place between June and July in the areas of Mpoundou and Bingovion, highlighted serious logging violations in this part of the Moyen-Ogooué province.
Mr. NA is accused in particular of logging without a title, of cutting and removing species without authorization from the administration and of fraudulent maneuver. Facts prohibited by law and which he acknowledged the truth of. Indeed, to circumvent the law in force and to cover his tracks of his involvement in the authorization requests for cutting and sawing, Mr. NA subtly used members of his family, including his daughter and son, as an administrative shield. This maneuver is considered fraudulent and out of step with the legal requirements of the Gabonese Forestry Code. Also, the quantities exploited in a more industrial than artisanal manner far exceeded those provided for by law.
At both sites, drums containing tank, a barge, two Caterpillar 528 machines, a Lucas Mill mobile saw, evidence of numerous felled timber (stumps) and boards, battens and rafters were found. Evidence of the establishment of large-scale industrial exploitation. A cumulative total of 268,444 m3 of sawn timber was also noted by the mission team at the various sites inspected.
If Mr. WNMTD, the son of Mr. NA, obtained a permit to cut wood for sawing in the user zone of the village of Aschouka, this was subsequently transferred to his father. As for Mrs. MMNL, despite the fact that no permit to cut wood was issued to her by the Water and Forests administration, the exploitation on the requested site continued under the leadership of her father and in violation of the Forestry Code. This illegal exploitation probably also explains why the requests for community forests by organized communities were not successful.
In this area of Lake Oguemoué, had it not been for the diligence of the local communities united within the eponymous association, this illegal exploitation would have continued. In search of justice, the Association of Communities of Lake Oguemoué (ACLO) and the NGO Conservation Justice denounced the perpetrators of this trafficking for the reasons stated above. While previous investigations had not been completed, this time the mobilization of the communities led to the court and the parties expect a strong decision from the justice of Lambaréné to serve as an example, strengthen the rule of law and good governance of natural resources.
The President of the ACLO association, Mr. Patrick BENGONE, declared: “what we are looking for is in a responsible exploitation of the natural resources of our lake for the benefit of the local resident communities and also for future generations.” The Executive Director of Conservation Justice, Mr. Luc MATHOT, added: “it is remarkable that the ACLO association and the local cooperatives around Lake Oguemoué are so well organized to lead a sustainable management of their natural resources and thus seek to protect their environment. We can only encourage them and help them in their fight.”
Placing man at the center of its action, the Transition authorities have since taking power given pride of place to Gabonese initiatives in entrepreneurship. However, this involvement could not be done in violation of the rights of communities and regulatory requirements as is the case here in the field of forestry.
This excess by Mr. NA shows how important it is to intensify controls by pooling efforts between the public administration and associations in the logging areas of Gabon. Because, if it is appropriate for the Gabonese to take over the economic development of the forestry sector, this must be done in accordance with the law and without negatively impacting local communities. Here, it will be up to the courts to decide.
Source : CJ
2024-08-25 16:12:11
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