One-Week Deadline for Timber Operators
Northern Bahr el Ghazal’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has given chainsaw owners seven days to renew logging permits or leave the woods. Minister Garang Chan Atak says the sweep intends to halt uncontrolled felling of prized species like mahogany, now vanishing from community lands.
Deforestation and Climate Concerns
Chan warns that rapid tree loss accelerates desertification and disrupts rainfall patterns already erratic in the semi-arid state. He likens vegetation to human lifespans, arguing that safeguarding forests today determines the ecological health of the next generation.
Officials report previous arrests for unlicensed cutting, yet mobile sawmills keep appearing alongside freshly cleared clearings. The ministry fears the trend, left unchecked, could strip communal woodlots and push farmers toward marginal land.
Foreign Chainsaws Under Watch
Some operators allegedly import cutting machines from neighbouring markets and team up with foreign technicians versed in timber extraction. The partnership, Chan says, magnifies the reach of illicit crews working deep beyond routine patrols.
Rural households have started signing private deals that exchange century-old trunks for quick cash. The ministry reminds communities that, while customary rights matter, commercial harvesting remains subject to state regulation and potential prosecution.
Toward Sustainable Forestry
A forthcoming decree would obligate every logger to plant two saplings for each tree removed, mirroring policies in parts of East Africa. Chan frames the measure as a pragmatic compromise between rural incomes and long-term environmental stewardship.
Enforcement teams, supported by police, are scheduled to verify permits next week. Businesses that comply may resume operations; those that ignore the deadline face confiscation of equipment, heavy fines and possible court action, the minister reiterates.