Illegal timber still reaching Europe despite VPA - Nguiffo

Since 2010 Cameroon has engaged with the European Union in a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA). The purpose of the VPA is to put an end to illegal timber exports.

This agreement is based on a commitment by Cameroon to market only legal wood to the European Union which, in return, facilitates access to its market.

Despite this agreement, illegal tropical timber continues to flood Europe. The entry into the economic market by new investors, such as China, further complicates the implementation of the VPA.

The illegal exploitation of wood has dire consequences not only at the local level but also on a global scale, in the context of climate change, since the illegal exploitation of forests is done without considering ecological and environmental deteriorations.