Fraudulent logging networks are accelerating deforestation and illegal timber exports in Cameroon, deepening an environmental crisis in the Congo Basin, the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest after the Amazon.
Cameroon hosts nearly 22 million hectares of forest, accounting for about 45 percent of its national territory. These forests play a critical role in biodiversity conservation, climate regulation and the livelihoods of millions of people. Yet they are being degraded at an alarming pace as illegal logging, uncontrolled agricultural expansion and weak enforcement undermine state protection efforts.
At the heart of the crisis is booming global demand for rare tropical hardwoods such as ayous, sapelli, tali and bubinga. Highly valued on international markets, these species have driven industrial-scale logging in Cameroon since the early 1990s. Although a forestry law introduced in 1994 set quotas and reforestation obligations to promote sustainable exploitation, enforcement has remained inconsistent.
Industry data shows the scale of the trade. By 2019, Cameroon had more than 90 forest concessions producing millions of cubic metres of timber annually for export to markets including China, Vietnam, Belgium, France, Italy and the United States. While Europe was once the dominant destination, stricter legality requirements under the EU’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) framework significantly reduced European imports over the past decade.
As European demand declined, Asian markets increasingly filled the gap. China has emerged as the leading destination for Central African timber, importing timber worth about one billion dollars in 2019 alone. Most of the region’s timber output is now shipped to Asia, where processing and resale generate far higher value than exporting raw logs from Africa.
This shift has exposed deep governance weaknesses. According to local observers, illegal logging operations often function alongside legal concessions, exploiting poor oversight to exceed quotas, harvest protected areas and launder illegal wood using falsified documents. Fraudulent transport permits and traceability certificates allow illegally harvested timber to pass through official export channels undetected.
Cameroon’s long and porous borders further complicate enforcement. Timber is routinely smuggled into neighbouring countries such as Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Chad, before being re-exported under different customs identities. These cross-border networks make it difficult for authorities to trace the true origin of shipments, allowing illegal exports to continue largely unchecked.
The economic consequences are severe. The state loses billions of CFA francs each year through unpaid taxes, uncollected logging fees and missed opportunities for local processing and value addition. For forest-dependent communities, the impact is even more direct: degraded land, shrinking livelihoods and the erosion of traditional ways of life.
Environmental groups warn that continued forest loss in Cameroon threatens the wider Congo Basin ecosystem, a vital global carbon sink. Without stronger enforcement, transparent supply chains and greater accountability from importing countries, they say, illegal timber trafficking will continue to undermine conservation efforts and fuel climate vulnerability across Central Africa.
