From the days of colonization until now, almost all the timber felled in Cameroon has been exported to Europe. The main importing nations between 2000 and 2005 were France, Belgium and the Netherlands. French logging company Pallisco is the top exporter of moabi tree timber [3]. Between 1990 and 2005, Cameroon lost 13.4% of its forest cover or around 3,300,000 hectares [1]. A report from the European Union released in 2015 denounces the many irregularities of timber industry in Cameroon. None of the companies operating in the country have gathered all the documentation necessary to be operating in Cameroon rainforest [2]. For instance, two French timber multinationals, Rougier and Pallisco respetively own 625 253 ha et 388 949 ha whereas according to Cameroon law forest properties cannot exceed 200 000 ha. Both companies, has many other operating in Cameroon, have been granted FSC certification which questions the accuracy of such labelling.

Cameroon's tropical forest is home to a great diversity of ecosystems that are critically threatened by the timber exploiting industry and transport and processing infrastructure that goes with it. Even the removal of just a small number of tree species causes severe disruptions to the affected ecosystems. Another side effect of forest exploitation has been the development of a large-scale trade in bushmeat. While this environmental destruction is a loss for all mankind, the first to suffer are the local communities of indigenous Bantus and Pygmies. Both depend on the forests’ ecology, not only for their food but also for the collection of raw materials, the production of natural medicines, and the key role that the forest plays in maintaining traditional practices and cultures. The loss of their territorial sovereignty affected and diminished access to these resources, causing an increase in poverty, not just monetary but in terms of the satisfaction of basic needs such as food, territorial and socio-cultural sovereignty. These fundamental human rights are threatened by the serious changes provoked by the development of forestry exploitation.

 In February 2000, Pallisco began illegally logging moabi trees in the Kélempeing community forest without consent. A group of women villagers, locally known as the “courageous women” and headed by Koko Sol, immediately reacted to the sound of chainsaws by blocking the machines from the trees and threatening to burn the equipments. They chased away the workers, though trees had already been cut down. Four villagers later came to the company’s sawmill to claim damages for the trees. Although the manager promised compensation, the villagers never received any, and there were no legal successes against Pallisco [3].

Another incident occurred in 2002, when Italian logging company Fipcam similarly illegally encroached upon Bapilé village’s forest land, opening a road on the village’s sacred cemetary. Five women tried to stop the logging upon hearing the sawing noises. The entire community then joined the women for a month-long occupation and blockade of the forest. The police threatened the villagers and dispersed them, and no compensation was given for the 300 lost moabi trees [3].