Instituting More Controls on Short Term Logging Licenses

Orlando Habet

According to Minister Habet, the previous government had issued licenses to persons not even involved in the logging business. The new Briceño administration is going to put more controls on short-term licenses that he says have been destructive. 

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management

“We had several people come and ask and request for logging licenses. And even though we had put it on hold, we realised that because of COVID, there is a demand and people need a living; it is a part of their livelihood and it is something that they have been accustomed to. So we have to, whatever we do from now going forward would be sustainable logging. We are also instituting a policy to phase out the export of our exotic woods because the little bit of mahogany that we have, much of it is being exported. And then you have the rosewood and zericote and all the exotic beautiful woods and they are just exported as flitches or raw lumber. And our policy now if you are going to export on a phased out basis, it will be that you have to add value to that lumber before you take it out.”