Shipping line CMA CGM has announced that it will not be carrying timber exports out of the Gambia “until further notice”.This follows a BBC African Eye investigation into allegations of the smuggling of illegally harvested rosewood.Trade in rosewood – which is protected – is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
“This highly sought-after wood is felled illegally in the region and then exported under various different guises. “This illicit trade is heavily implicated in the deforestation of West Africa,” says the CMA CGM statement.The timber ban is part of the CMA CGM group’s decision to clamp down globally on the use of its vessels to transport protected species.
“As part of these tighter procedures, shippers must expressly state whether a species is covered by the CITES convention and, where appropriate, provide the requisite export permit whenever any animal or plant goods are carried. “In parallel, the CMA CGM group will draw up a blacklist of exporters suspected to be involved in illicit trafficking,” it says.
