The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism last weekend intercepted a truck full of unprocessed timber in Windhoek that was en route to South Africa.

A media release issued on Wednesday by the ministry said the truck was carrying 1 500 timber planks which are currently being held by the ministry, while the transport permit has been suspended temporarily pending further investigations to establish where the timber came from and if it was legally acquired.

The statement noted that the ministry in 2018 introduced a moratorium on timber harvesting, transportation, marketing and exporting, which led to a major reduction in deforestation and illegal timber harvesting.

The ministry also stepped up forest monitoring and inspection activities to ensure prevention of illegal operations.

“The public is urged to be cautious and report any illegal timber activities to the ministry and other relevant authorities such as the Namibian Police. We further warn those committing or intending to undertake illegal activities to refrain and follow set out laws and procedures or risk being caught and face the full wrath of the law,” it said.

The statement further noted that the ministry issued a directive to all regional and satellite offices that export permits will only be issued by the director of forestry in Windhoek as per the provisions of the Forestry Act.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency