BabuK
JF-Expert Member
- Jul 30, 2008
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Forest officers collude in illegal logging for personal gain
A Special nationwide taskforce under the coordination of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism has uncovered clandestine operations in illegal logging and managed to uncover a Sh5bn worth contraband in Katavi region.
The team intercepted piles of logs in Kalambo district, Katavi region, ready for export through Dar es Salaam port purportedly coming from Zambia.
The shocking revelation followed a recent interception in the same area where Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Prof Jumanne Maghembe impounded logs worth Sh500 million which, however, ended up in flames despite the minister’s prior directive that the consignment be taken to Matai, the district headquarters, for auctioning.
Prof Maghembe exclusively informed the ‘Guardian on Sunday’ about depressing and insensitive nature of performance among forest managers who showed no signs of regret for the ongoing disappearance of national forest reserves.
“Awfully, similar misconduct was noticed in all the zones. Inconsistency in record keeping was a common phenomenon. Lack of action to stop illegal logging and collusion to swindle the government was discovered in all the zones.
We will not remain silent on this. Appropriate measures will be taken. All these (zonal managers) have been suspended pending determination of their fate,” the minister insisted.
The zones the minister referred to include south, west, east, central, north, lake and highlands.The probe team discovered that irresponsible performance by zonal managers had caused massive loss to the country as deforestation aggravated the effects of climate change.
A report by the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) in 2012, for example, indicated that 96 per cent of trees cut in Tanzania were being illegally harvested.
According to the report, illegal logging, which had severely affected public revenue from the sector, was becoming a major concern for the country.
The ministry reported that the country had lost an estimated Tsh23 billion expected from the sale of forest products between 2011 and 2012 to illegal logging.
The minister said piles of logs were found in different locations within Kalambo forest reserve, complete with forged documents to conceal the origin of the consignment. Additionally, counterfeit hammers used to stamp and ‘legalize’ the logs and container seals were impounded.
“This is done to mislead security organs into believing that the logs come from Zambia and are a legal batch ready for export. Luckily, this kind of trade is also prohibited in Zambia.
“No stone will be left unturned to expose and discipline the culprits. This is economic sabotage. The protection of national forest reserves is not a matter of choice but an obligation which must be executed to the letter,” Maghembe insisted.
The minister further spoke about a special audit conducted recently in all the seven zones which revealed a horrific degree of irresponsibility among the suspended forest managers.
The auditors discovered that revenue collected in the form of fees, levy or tax from sold forest products, the minister explained, was not remitted to the Treasury as the law requires.
“Some invested the money in their private businesses for two whole years while others remitted less amounts at variance with documented records. This is absolutely unacceptable,” Maghembe said in exasperation.
It was also realised during the probe that illegal logging occurred in full knowledge of forest managers who, in some cases, were accused of issuing instructions to junior officers to ‘escort’ smuggled timber and logs to ensure passage.
Athumani Lunduli, a forest conservation official in Chumbi village, Rufiji district, in Coast region, criticized the government for minimal penalty imposed on illegal loggers.
“A person accused of illegal possession of logs, for instance worth Tsh100 million, will be required to pay Tsh500,000 penalty. This is nothing but a joke. Low fines will never deter illegal activities as the offenders can always afford to pay,” Lunduli observed.
A UN Food and Agriculture Organisation report for 2010 on Global Forests Resources Assessment indicated that Tanzania had 33 million hectares of forests and woodland, but the country was losing more than 400,000 hectares of forests annually, a trend that was not showing any improvement.
“Forests play a critical role in the fight against global warming by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thus holding global temperatures from increasing,” the report read in part.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
A Special nationwide taskforce under the coordination of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism has uncovered clandestine operations in illegal logging and managed to uncover a Sh5bn worth contraband in Katavi region.
The team intercepted piles of logs in Kalambo district, Katavi region, ready for export through Dar es Salaam port purportedly coming from Zambia.
The shocking revelation followed a recent interception in the same area where Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Prof Jumanne Maghembe impounded logs worth Sh500 million which, however, ended up in flames despite the minister’s prior directive that the consignment be taken to Matai, the district headquarters, for auctioning.
Prof Maghembe exclusively informed the ‘Guardian on Sunday’ about depressing and insensitive nature of performance among forest managers who showed no signs of regret for the ongoing disappearance of national forest reserves.
“Awfully, similar misconduct was noticed in all the zones. Inconsistency in record keeping was a common phenomenon. Lack of action to stop illegal logging and collusion to swindle the government was discovered in all the zones.
We will not remain silent on this. Appropriate measures will be taken. All these (zonal managers) have been suspended pending determination of their fate,” the minister insisted.
The zones the minister referred to include south, west, east, central, north, lake and highlands.The probe team discovered that irresponsible performance by zonal managers had caused massive loss to the country as deforestation aggravated the effects of climate change.
A report by the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) in 2012, for example, indicated that 96 per cent of trees cut in Tanzania were being illegally harvested.
According to the report, illegal logging, which had severely affected public revenue from the sector, was becoming a major concern for the country.
The ministry reported that the country had lost an estimated Tsh23 billion expected from the sale of forest products between 2011 and 2012 to illegal logging.
The minister said piles of logs were found in different locations within Kalambo forest reserve, complete with forged documents to conceal the origin of the consignment. Additionally, counterfeit hammers used to stamp and ‘legalize’ the logs and container seals were impounded.
“This is done to mislead security organs into believing that the logs come from Zambia and are a legal batch ready for export. Luckily, this kind of trade is also prohibited in Zambia.
“No stone will be left unturned to expose and discipline the culprits. This is economic sabotage. The protection of national forest reserves is not a matter of choice but an obligation which must be executed to the letter,” Maghembe insisted.
The minister further spoke about a special audit conducted recently in all the seven zones which revealed a horrific degree of irresponsibility among the suspended forest managers.
The auditors discovered that revenue collected in the form of fees, levy or tax from sold forest products, the minister explained, was not remitted to the Treasury as the law requires.
“Some invested the money in their private businesses for two whole years while others remitted less amounts at variance with documented records. This is absolutely unacceptable,” Maghembe said in exasperation.
It was also realised during the probe that illegal logging occurred in full knowledge of forest managers who, in some cases, were accused of issuing instructions to junior officers to ‘escort’ smuggled timber and logs to ensure passage.
Athumani Lunduli, a forest conservation official in Chumbi village, Rufiji district, in Coast region, criticized the government for minimal penalty imposed on illegal loggers.
“A person accused of illegal possession of logs, for instance worth Tsh100 million, will be required to pay Tsh500,000 penalty. This is nothing but a joke. Low fines will never deter illegal activities as the offenders can always afford to pay,” Lunduli observed.
A UN Food and Agriculture Organisation report for 2010 on Global Forests Resources Assessment indicated that Tanzania had 33 million hectares of forests and woodland, but the country was losing more than 400,000 hectares of forests annually, a trend that was not showing any improvement.
“Forests play a critical role in the fight against global warming by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thus holding global temperatures from increasing,” the report read in part.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
