Work starts to craft new forest policy |16 January 2020
Stakeholders in a souvenir photograph (Photo: Jude Morel)
Stakeholders involved in environment protection, nature and biodiversity conservation, forest management gathered at the Care House yesterday morning to give their inputs, discuss important and relevant issues to better manage, maintain and sustain forests around the country in view of crafting a new national forest policy and legislation.
The project to develop the new policy and legislation is receiving financial and technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
A delegation from the UN body is in the country to lead consultations and provide support and guidance in the crafting process.
Yesterday’s consultation session was led by FAO forestry consultant Edward Kilawe.
Marie-May Muzungaile, director general in the biodiversity conservation and management division of the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, launched the discussions. This was in the presence of the principal secretary for agriculture Antoine-Marie Moustache, the principal secretary for environment Alain de Commarmond as well as the local consultant working on the project Michel Vielle.
In her opening remarks, Mrs Muzungaile highlighted the special value and importance of our forests which among many other things protect our water sources, the quality of air we breathe, shelter animals and a host of plant varieties and also contribute enormously to our economy by providing timber, attraction for visitors among other socio-economic benefits.
“It is important therefore to have sound policies and legal framework to guide the management of forests,” she noted.
She pointed out that the last forest policy and strategy is outdated and no longer relevant to effectively address the current threats and priorities of our country.
She further noted that in a small island state like ours, we have limited resources in particular land which lead to deforestation and other developments which make us highly susceptible to natural disasters and the effects of climate change. Our dependence on international trade has also increased our biosecurity risks and invasive species have become one of the biggest threats facing our forests today. In addition to that there have also been a lot of developments by way of international commitments that Seychelles is a party to, namely the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, UN SDGs all of which have strong agendas for sustainable and sound forest management.
It was early last year that the government sought the support of the FAO and the project, amounting to a sum of a little over US $273,000, was signed in October last year.
Marie-Anne Lepathy