Thank you for this very informative summary. Do you know how the rosewood is transported from Mali, which is a landlocked country? To add some more information: I was in Gambia and Senegal earlier this year, and the fact of illegal logging for the Chinese contracts is commonly known in Casamance, that's the southern (forested) part of the country. It is said that the wood is being logged in Senegal and transported down the Gambia river.
Thank you for this very informative summary. Do you know how the rosewood is transported from Mali, which is a landlocked country? To add some more information: I was in Gambia and Senegal earlier this year, and the fact of illegal logging for the Chinese contracts is commonly known in Casamance, that's the southern (forested) part of the country. It is said that the wood is being logged in Senegal and transported down the Gambia river.
From what I’ve seen, the Chinese traders in Mali truck them to Dakar, Senegal, where they work with other Chinese traders to get them onto ships.