HEAVY PENALTIES NEEDED FOR ILLEGAL LOGGERS

Heavy penalties must be put in place for bogus investment like loggers continuously breaking the country’s laws.

Leader of Opposition Hon. Matthew Wale made the call on the government to review and amend the laws dealing with logging and our protected wildlife species including Tubi.  

Over the years protected species like Tubi and Kwilla trees have been exploited to unsustainable levels. 

He said the recent revelations by the Premier of Isabel Provincial stating that the current harvesting of Tubi in parts of Isabel is illegal raises a lot of questions on the interface between the different laws.

“It seems the cross overs between the process for acquiring timber rights under the Forest Resource Timber Utilisation Act and for grant of permits under the Wild Life Protection Act, and that for provincial business licenses are not clear thus creating unwanted gaps. 

He said this situation has existed for ages, allowing wilful deliberate abuse of our processes to continue.

Mr. Wale adds that the provincial governments and the ministry responsible for environment and conservation are key agents in looking out against the depletion of our natural resources and in the circumstances raised by the Premier, it seems their powers have been hijacked by the timber rights process. 

“Lack of clarity in our laws leaves room for abuse and corrupt practice by loggers who are only interested in serving their interests.  

The decline in our logging industry is now seeing loggers moving business into our protected tree species and the mining sector.  This is a worrying trend. 

“The influx of bogus investors looking for opportunities to exploit is now widespread. Regrettably, loggers and government officials implicated time after time again for corrupt practices are still conducting business in the country freely. How long is this going to go on for?”

“I, therefore, call on the government to look seriously into the allegations made by the Isabel Premier and to quickly rectify any gaps causing these problems and to put in place heavy penalties for any loggers caught illegally trading in our protected species.

SIBC News is aware, there’s a big consignment of illegally felled Tubi from Isabel currently seized in Noro, Western Province. 

Recent media reports confirmed more than ten thousand cubic meters of Tubi round logs were currently stockpiled in San Jorge and Lelegia Camps in Isabel Province.   

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