Promoting Agriculture Governance and the Environment (PAGE) on 20th October 2012 ended a two days training of Groups of Forest Management Association Team leaders at the Kenema District Council hall in Kenema city.
Over 18 participants from both Nongowa and Lower Bambara chiefdoms took part in the training. Talking to the press the Governance Specialist of PAGE Eugene Cole explained the purpose of the training saying it was to develop a cadre of group of Forest Management Association Enforcement team leaders who will be able to enforce activities in the Kambui North Reserved Forest areas.
He said at the end of the training each trainee was able to identify the list of things that are illegal within the forest stating the enforcement procedures, the team leaders, the village/town, District Forestry Officer and Forest Management Committee.
Eugene Cole further stated that the participants have learnt the code of conduct for forest management pointing how they will properly approach and interview a suspect, completely fill the enforcement forms and properly present testimony as witness.
Concluding, the Governance Specialist outlined the legal Instruments of the National Forest contained in the Forestry Act 1988, Forestry Regulation of 1989 and the kambui North Forest Co-Management Agreement of 2012 citing the Forest Act of 1988 Section 9 which he said states that no person in the National Reserve shall cut, burn, uproot, damage or destroy any tree, remove any timber or other forest products, clear any land, build any road or structure, take any earth, clay, sand, gravel, cultivate any crop, graze any animal or conduct any forest operations unless a person has permission on concession agreement, contract of sale, license and confirmed usage right.
By Saffa Moriba
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