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In the south of Senegal, the forests of Casamance are known for their rare woods, such as rosewood or the Cayor pear tree. They are supposed to be protected, but armed groups have made a very lucrative traffic to China.
In Senegal, the vast forests of Casamance extend over thousands of hectares. The region is nicknamed the “green lung” of the country, known for its rare tree species such as rosewood or pear Cayor. But in recent years, vast traffic is decimating entire patches of forest. Each year, the equivalent of three times the area of Paris would be felled illegally in these forests. Precious woods are smuggled into neighboring Gambia.
Senegal has strictly prohibited cutting wood in these forests, but this law is far from being respected, so environmental activists are patrolling. Going deeper into the bush, they discover an underground camp that day. A little further, we hear the sound of chainsaws. The wood cutters are there, a hundred meters away. Better to stay away. “They are more armed than the army itself”says an environmental activist. The goods are exported by boat to China, to be transformed into luxury furniture.
The business is lucrative. For the most popular species alone, rosewood, exports from The Gambia amount to 280 million euros in six years. A jackpot widely captured in Casamance by an armed pro-independence group linked to this traffic.