Forestry Dept calls for MPs support
The Department of Forestry has called on members of Parliament (MPs) to support the fight against encroachment of forest reserves and destruction of forests.
Fo r e s t r y Department director Clement Chilima made the call yesterday when he and officials from the department appeared before the parliamentary budget cluster of Natural Resources and Climate Change and Agriculture and Food Security committees.
He said there are influential people involved in some of the malpractices and the department needs the backing of MPs to fight such people.
Said Chilima: “Sometimes, politicians including MPs and senior government officials are involved in the encroachment and it becomes hard to deal with the malpractice. So, we need the support of Parliament for allocation of more funding for the department to employ more guards to fight deforestation.
“There is need for continued political will to empower the department so that it uses the law to address crimes.”
He said the department needs at least 300 forest guards and 140 forest assistants.
On his part, cluster co-chair Sameer Suleman said the country needs to protect trees to fight climate change, adding Parliament will help to push for more funding for the department .
“I also always say it does not make sense to be confiscating charcoal when we know where trees are being destroyed. We need to guard the trees. We need to protect the trees from being cut. That is why we are in support of recruitment of more forest guards to protect the trees,” he said.
