Travis Lupick in Al Jazeera.com: Liberia's forestry department has been secretly doling out illegal logging permits to large corporations that could result in more than 40 per cent of its pristine forest being chopped down, with little benefit to local communities, a new report by environmental groups alleges.In the past two years, control over a quarter of all of Liberia's land has been handed over to private corporations to log, says the report released on Tuesday after a three-month investigation. "An explosion in the use of secretive and often illegal logging permits" has occurred, it says.
Logging contracts - covering both private and public land - now cover more than 36,000 square kilometres of Liberia's landmass, an area larger than the US state of Maryland.
The Forestry Development Authority (FDA) began issuing new licenses called "private use permits" in 2010 that contain no sustainability requirements. The contracts give companies free rein to clear much of Liberia's forests - some of Africa's richest - including almost half of its primary intact forests, according to Jonathan Gant, policy adviser for Global Witness, which drafted the report.
Some communities involved in the deals with the corporations say they were coerced and swindled, alleging their signatures were forged on land titles.
Minister of Information Lewis Brown described the situation as "mindboggling", adding President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf appointed a panel on August 31 to investigate. He confirmed criminal investigations could follow, and if permits are found to be unlawful, those contracts will be terminated....
Monrovia seen from space
No comments:
Post a Comment