To fight illegal logging, The Gambia has outlawed the export of timber and cancelled all export permits.
The prohibition is currently in effect, and port authorities have been told not to load any vessels with wood logs.
A BBC investigation in 2020 found that large amounts of protected West African Rosewood were being smuggled into the nation from Senegal.
A large portion of it is utilised to create furniture in China.
The Convention on International Trading in Endangered Species, which has classed it as an endangered species since 2017, called on seven nations, including The Gambia, to halt trade in it last month.
Despite declaring its own stocks to be on the verge of extinction almost ten years ago, The Gambia consistently ranks among the top five exporters of West African Rosewood (Pterocarpus erinaceus) globally.
Rosewood is one of the most widely traded wildlife products worldwide, both in terms of value and volume.
It is popular for its colour and toughness and is also known as Hongmu or “red wood.” Antique-style furniture is the main application for this material.
According to data collected by BBC Africa Eye, between 2017 and 2020, China bought more than 300,000 tonnes of goods from The Gambia.
That is more than $100 million (£80 million) in value, or around half a million trees.
The BBC obtained confirmation from numerous sources that the rosewood being carried from The Gambia to China originated in the Casamance region of southern Senegal after a year-long inquiry in both Senegal and The Gambia.
The BBC discovered at least 12 depots storing rosewood and other types of lumber along a 170km-long (105 mile) section of the border between the two nations. They were all situated on Gambian soil.
