Discussing the amendments to the Forestry Law within a dialogue workshop in As-Suwayda

As-Suwayda-Sana

The participants in a dialogue workshop organized by the Suwayda Agriculture Directorate today on the amendment of Forestry Law No. 6 of 2018 called for the creation of a special court for forest violations or a special room for forest claims and the inclusion of an article in the law that guarantees the right of members of the forestry police force.

The workshop participants suggested the inclusion of an article in the law to protect wild assets and endangered species in forest sites, make the penalty for trespassing on the land of natural reserves double, amend the investment laws in the field of ecotourism according to the specifics of each governorate, add a penalty for cutting, trafficking, transporting logs, promoting any forest product and increasing the number of control elements Forestry and site guards and the creation of a central forest protection in the province of As-Suwayda.

The submitted interventions called for making the imposed fine unified in law and doubling it, not expanding organizational schemes at the expense of forest sites, determining the distance of any facility from the forest to a distance of no less than 2 km, increasing incentives for workers in forestry departments, involving municipalities by setting afforestation plans in many sites, and promoting and including issues of environmental awareness. with the curriculum.

The Director of Forestry at the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Dr. Eng. Ali Thabet, indicated that the aim of the workshop was to develop visions and proposals to reach a modern version of Law No. 6 of 2018, applicable to serving the protection of forest wealth and achieving the principle of partnership with the local community in that.

In turn, the Director of Suwayda Agriculture, Engineer Ayham Hamed, drew attention to the importance of the workshop to amend the Forestry Law to suit the current reality, especially in light of the encroachments and fires that affected areas of forest sites.

The head of the Forestry Department in the Directorate, Engineer Anas Abu Fakhr, reviewed the reality of forestry in the governorate, the most important forest trees in it, and the production of forest plants through nurseries, and the procedures followed by the department during the past years to protect forests, stop encroachments, and work to cultivate what has been cut.

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