The information was advanced this Wednesday, in a press conference, by the director of the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation (INBAC), Albertina Nzunzi.
The head of this body assigned to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Environment said that the authorities learned about this fact through a complaint in the social networks this week, and a multisectoral team went to the field to ascertain its veracity.
Albertina Nzunzi said that the results of the work revealed that the affected area is extensive, having already been cut down 1800 bunkers, secular tree and national symbol.
According to the director of INBAC, the embondeiros are being cut down for illegal occupation of land and construction of houses in that area, where people are hired, at a price ranging from 25,000 kwanzas to 30,000 kwanzas, to cut down the trees.
According to Albertina Nzunzi, people are aware of the environmental crime they are committing, but they said that "it is more important to have houses than to have a standing ambush".
"This is a very serious environmental crime that requires the intervention of the state's defense and security agencies," she said, stressing that urgent measures must be taken to safeguard the trees that still exist.
The phenomenon of felling embondeiros, continued the responsible, is not new.
In some areas, on the way to Bengo province, in the municipality of Nzeto, Zaire province, about two years ago, were identified areas granted by the authorities for construction where the sand around the tree is removed and naturally falls.
She stressed that INBAC has already intervened in order to restore the land around the embondeiros or to give another space.
The embondeiro is among the oldest trees on the planet, aged between 1100 and 2500 years.
