By Henry Kargbo
The head, Coalition of Civil Society and Human Right Activists Sierra Leone, Charles Mambu said that timber logging endangered forests despite the ban on timber logging that is expected to take effect on Saturday 1 August 2023.
Mambu made this revelation Thursday 27 July, Epic Radio Good Morning Show, during which he expressed disappointment at the increased rates of timber logging and the cutting of fence sticks, especially in the Koinadugu and Falaba districts.
This he observed has posed danger to the environment and habitants.
He urged government to put on hold the massive timber logging to prevent future exportation overseas as such business as usual most stop henceforth to save the country’s woodland.
Charles Mambu added visitations to certain areas, communities and villages have shown massive logging and deforestation activities which he noted serves as an environmental threat hanging over the country.
He outlined Kamakuwie, Fintonia, Samaya, Tenenneh and Sania, Karene district stops of mass deforestation caused by timber logging and therefore pleaded with President Bio and government through the appropriate ministry and agencies to take urgent action to mitigate the deforestation of the country forest reserved.
He pointed accusing fingers on the Timber Association for its involvement in massive logging along the coastal areas, noting the needs for serious considerations.
“Our roads have been destroyed by the heavyweight vehicles of timber loggers; while the noise of machines during loggings have caused precious animals migrating to distant forests thereby posing serious challenges to residents,” observed Mambu.
For their part, the Timber Association disclosed that the Government of Sierra Leone has intimated the association to stop logging on or before 1 August this year, citing bad roads linking communities as reason.
The Association also disclosed that they have been providing roads and planting trees in some of those communities, adding that the tree planning exercise at parliament reassuring of more ventures in future.
