THE UNSUSTAINABLE harvest of the country’s forests continues reaching its peak last year says Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Research, Vaeno Vigulu.
Mr Vigulu said last year was the peak year of log harvest despite reports, saying logging will decline by 2015.
He said comparing these reports with what actually happen, one can tell current harvests are still increasing.
Vigulu said the reason for the increase of this log harvests are due to agro-forestry where a huge forest land is cleared resulting in more logs having to be exported from these clearings.
He said another contributing factor is more markets are now available for other log species that are cut from second and third re-entries.
Adding, logging companies are entering and harvesting logs in protected and catchment areas increasing harvest rates.
Vigulu said looking at the past and current rate of harvests, it would increase or remain the same as last year’s.
However, the forest PS said the ministry is working hard to ensure monitoring is tightened.
Mr Vigulu said currently they could not do their monitoring work effectively due to shortage of human resources.
Resulted in lost revenue since the ministry do not have the man power to carryout proper monitoring at all logging operations in the country.
Stressing the need to add more staff to monitor all logging operations because the ministry has not fully realised the revenue it should have earned.
Last year the ministry of Forest earned the highest revenue in years at $16 million as compared with others years in history.
The Forest Industry contributes approximately 60 percent of the revenue that maintains the country’s economy.
However, the 60 percent comes at a great cost to the country in terms of environmental damage, land and sea pollution, social problems like conflicts, domestic violence and teenage pregnancy issues amongst others.
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