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Benin bans timber export to protect forests

Xinhua, April 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

The new government of Benin has suspended the export of timber as part of efforts to protect forests, an official source said Friday.

The source who declined to be named is close to the Minister of State and General Secretary of the office of the President of the Republic.

It said that Benin Executive has, besides, instructed the minister of living conditions and sustainable development to take protective measures so as to ensure the protection of forests under serious threats of destruction in the country.

Recent report from Benin office of forest and natural resources said that the country is subject to the loss of over 70,000 ha of forests per year out of 2.65 million ha of total forest cover.

It added that bush fire, land clearing for agriculture, tree cutting for timber, firewood or charcoal production are main causes of forest destruction every year.

"The impacts of this deforestation can be summed up in the loss of biodiversity, the degradation of lands then exposed and where crop yields are increasingly weaker," the report said.

According to the report, the weak agricultural performance is the basis for the persistence of poverty, malnutrition, low-access to education and health services for families. Endit