Huambo, March 21 (ANGOP) – Angola’s southern central Huambo province has lost almost half of its native forest cover in the last 17 years because of the cutting of trees for agricultural production and charcoal.
The fact was made public on Thursday (21) by the head of the department of the Forest Development Institute, Amaro Gime Bulica, at the workshop held by the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, alluding to the International Day of the Forest and the Tree.
Since 2002, according to reports, 38 percent of all native forests have disappeared, indicating the municipalities of Bailundo, Mungo, Ucuma, Longonjo and Chicala-Cholohanga as the ones that have suffered the most losses of native trees.
He admitted that such a situation needs a doubling of control measures to prevent more natural forests, whose species can hardly be repopulated, being felled.
Amaro Gime Bulica recalled that between 1975 and 2002 the province of Huambo had lost 28 percent of its native forest cover, for the same reasons, 10 percent less than in the last 17 years.
