据当地媒体报道，莫桑比克土地环境与农村发展部部长CELSO CORREIA表示，莫桑比克有关部门将冻结新的木材采伐申请和许可，以保护本国森林资源。该计划将很快送交内阁会议审批。

鉴于一些硬木品种濒临灭绝，目前，该部已禁止采伐铁木（IRONWOOD）。

CelsoCorreia to suspend all new logging, forestry licences in Mozambique

(2015-11-17)

The Mozambican authorities intend toimpose a moratorium on new requests to exploit the country’s forestryresources, according to the Minister of Land, Environment and RuralDevelopment, Celso Correia, cited in the Beira daily paper “Diario de Mocambique”.

The proposal to suspend all new logging licences and all new forestryconcessions is part of a package of measures to protect Mozambique’s foreststhat will shortly be submitted for approval to the Council of Ministers(Cabinet), Correia said.

He said this is part of the government’s efforts to safeguard forestryresources, which are still under strong pressure from logging, despite the fallof timber prices on international markets.

The central provinces of Tete andZambezia, and Cabo Delgado in the north are under the strongest pressure, muchof it from illegal loggers. Redoubled inspection efforts, Correia said, aretherefore required to avoid the extinction of some species of hardwoods.

Ironwood (“pau-ferro”) is already at risk of disappearing and Correia’sministry has ordered the suspension of all logging of this species, to allowthe necessary replanting and recovery.

While recognizing the contribution of forestry operations and wood exports tothe national economy, Correia condemned the devastation of forests that hasoccurred in various parts of the country. Matters have been made worse by thetrend among operators holding logging licences to abuse them, by logging beyondthe areas allocated to them.