Christian Locka

Main basse sur le bois

Many of the millions of cubic metres of timber and timber products that Cameroon exports every year to Europe, Asia and even America come from illegal forestry operations that destroy the environment, adversely affect the livelihoods of local people and cost the state around CFA 7 billion a year. In 2010, the government and the European Union signed a Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT VPA), one of the requirements of which was the introduction of a timber traceability tool. Why, nine years later, after disbursing more than CFA 2 billion to foreign and local consultancies, does the country still not have a timber traceability tool? Why has the procurement process been tainted by suspicions of corruption and forgery? What roles did the local delegation of the European Union and the German Development Bank (KFW), two partners in the project, play in the conspiracy and the refusal to pay? From the forest to the hushed offices, this video reveals the secrets of the botched traceability project, as well as the damage caused by illegal timber, which accounts for around 40% of the volumes exported.