Cameroon: Organizations up in arms against environmental crime, a USD 280 billion scourge

Cameroon, a key country in the Congo Basin and the second-largest tropical forest massif in the world, is regularly cited as a major hotspot for environmental crime: illegal logging, poaching, trafficking of protected species, and clandestine mining have thrived there for decades, undermining both biodiversity and state tax revenues. It is against this backdrop that, according to Financial Afrik, organizations are mobilizing against this scourge, estimated at USD 280 billion at the scale mentioned by the source. As the original article is reserved for subscribers, neither the precise names of the involved organizations, their spokespersons, nor the exact scope of this amount (national, regional, or global) are currently accessible. However, the stakes are considerable: for Yaoundé, the fight against this trafficking conditions forest preservation—a strategic resource for the climate and rural economy—as well as the country's credibility with international donors and carbon financing mechanisms. Global estimates from agencies like Interpol or UNEP historically place global environmental crime between USD 90 billion and 260 billion per year, which prompts verification as to whether the USD 280 billion figure cited here specifically concerns Cameroon, Central Africa, or a broader continental scale. Without access to the details of the source article, this clarification remains an essential open question.