The head of the Timber Regulatory Council in Sierra Leone, Mr. Tengbeh, has said in Freetown that Bollore Transport and Logistics Company is aiding the exportation of raw timber out of the country against the current ban on the export of such commodities by the Government of Sierra Leone.
The group, which advocates for the responsible management of forests against the deforestation that has occurred over the years, has noted that they desire to provide a sound governance of our forests by ensuring that we restore our vegetation cover as country.
Sierra Leone, Mr. Tengbeh disclosed, has lost over 96% of its forest cover, leaving only 4% as a result of unguided and rampant depletion of our forests. This, he went on, has not benefitted us as a people but only few individuals in the state.
He noted that with external funding they have been able to kick start efforts at planting over 15,000 trees.
“Our motive is to make Sierra Leon green again. We have not been able to get the requisite political will to move on with our activities and this is critical in the fight to ensure sound governance in the management of our resources,” Mr. Tengbeh emphasized.
He disclosed that even though the country collects huge sums of money from deforestation fee from individuals who are involved in the logging of our forests such monies have not been utilized to the planting of trees in areas already depleted.
Mr. Tengbeh also noted that they have not been able to get the support of other players such as Mr. Barbardie, who is the government agent for the timber trade. He noted that Mr. Barbadie and other timber associations and councils have viewed his organization as a threat to their activities.
It will be recalled that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on Thursday 16rh August, 2018 launched a national tree planting ceremony at the hockey pitch in the Wilberforce Military barracks. The purpose of the launching was to strengthen sustainable biodiversity conservation and management.
While addressing the mammoth gathering during the launching, President Bio stated that his Government is committed not only to improve the lives of all Sierra Leoneans across the country but also to preserving the environment for the current and future generations.
President Bio furthered that the large scale mismanagement of our forests and forests resources in the past years have resulted in the degradation of vast acreages of land in urban and rural areas.
“We don’t need to look any further than the terrible tragedy of the mudslide and floods on the 14 August 2017 to realize the quantum of devastation that the mismanagement of our forests could unleash,” President Julius Maada Bio stated.
But why should a very committed advocacy group, to ensuring the sound governance of our forests only to complement government, be stifled by government and other critical players in the sector?