By: Modou Touray
As indiscriminate cutting down of trees in the Kombo Darsilameh community forest and its surroundings has prompted the village Alkalo Musa Balla Tabally Bojang to task his villagers with scouting for illegal logging and offenders of deforestation and all forms of destruction to their community forest park.
In an exclusive interview with The Fatu Network during a tree planting activity, Mr Bojang warned that anyone captured will be prosecuted accordingly.
Kombo Darsilameh settlement borders the southern Senegalese region of Casamance which makes it more challenging to protect the environment.
“When a forest is cut down, there is no place left for the creatures that once lived there, and they die off. Biodiversity is decreased accordingly. The more forests that are cut down, the more associated organisms have no place to live, and the more biodiversity decreases,” Alkalo Bojang revealed
“Since most of our valuable forest trees have been cut down and the animals’ species also aren’t visible anymore. I beef up vigilantism in our endangered forest park to avert deforestation,” he continued.
Although the charges attached to forestry offences are minimal, but the Darsilameh village Alkalo is not relenting on his quest to bring offenders before the law. For example, section 109 of the forestry offences Act, fines up to D3000 for charcoal burning, failure in which the offender will serve a sentence of up to 6 months.
“Trees give off oxygen that we need to breathe. Trees reduce the amount of stormwater runoff, which reduces erosion and pollution in our waterways and may reduce the effects of flooding. Many species of wildlife depend on trees for habitat. Trees provide food, protection, and homes for many birds and mammals,” Alkalo Bojang said.
Vigilante groups in the environment are people keeping a watchful or close eye on activities in the forest. Sometimes a vigilante will make news for catching a criminal, and sometimes vigilante groups form to target criminal activity.
Mr Bojang further asserted that trees provide many benefits to our cities, towns, and villages. Trees benefit communities by improving air quality, mitigating stormwater, providing shade and enhancing aesthetic beauty, providing wildlife habitat, and increasing property value.
“The loss of trees and other vegetation can cause climate change, desertification, soil erosion, fewer crops, flooding, increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and a host of problems for human beings,” he added
Experts believe deforestation causes habitat destruction, increased risk of predation, reduced food availability, and much more. As a result, some animals lose their homes, others lose food sources – and finally, many lose their lives. Deforestation is one of the main causes of extinction.
In the Community forestry concept, communities have the right to manage the forest resources upon which they depend, with a view to improving their living conditions. Recognising, securing, and enforcing forest communities’ rights is the most effective and inclusive way to preserve, restore and enhance forests.
The Community Forest management approach helps to mitigate increasing deforestation and forest degradation to address the negative impacts on rural livelihoods.
