Logging and illegal timber threaten Cameroon's forests ^{CEFR B2}

Cameroon holds nearly 22 million hectares of forest, about 45% of its land, making it the Congo Basin’s second‑largest rainforest area after the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These forests provide carbon storage and high biodiversity but are being degraded by expanding logging, agriculture and timber trafficking.

Since the early 1990s demand for rare tropical species such as ayous, sapelli, tali and bubinga has increased. Cameroon adopted a timber law framework in 1994 with quotas and reforestation obligations, yet enforcement is inconsistent. In 2019 assessments showed dozens of concessions producing millions of cubic metres of logs destined for markets including China, Vietnam and several European countries.

Exports to Europe declined sharply after a crisis in the European tropical timber sector: trade from Central Africa more than halved between 2010 and 2020, and demand shifted toward Asia as Europe tightened legality rules linked to FLEGT. Over a recent period most of the region’s timber production went to Asian markets and China’s imports reached about USD 1 billion in 2019.

Weak enforcement and organised illicit networks amplify losses through overcutting, logging in prohibited areas, falsified transport documents and altered volume declarations. Porous borders allow shipments to be moved via Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Chad and exported under a different customs identity. The consequences include severe threats to biodiversity, damage to local communities and large state revenue losses amounting to billions of CFA francs each year, and it remains unclear how authorities will halt the combined pressure of strong foreign demand and organised illicit networks.