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Government yesterday said it plans to turn the Forestry Division into a statutory body to allow for a more effective operation as the conservation of forests is critical to the country.

This was announced by Minister of Housing and the Environment Dr Roodal Moonilal at the opening ceremony of a media workshop for a better understanding of watersheds and marine resources. The workshop was held at the Hilton Trinidad, St Ann’s.

Moonilal said his ministry was in the process of introducing a new regime of policy and laws, which will be molded into a statutory body to deal with all areas under the Forestry Division.

“The division faces some challenges, in terms of how they operate, and we believe the creation of a statutory authority will allow it to deal with some of its modern challenges, since it is approximately 100 years old,” Moonilal said.

He admitted that he was aware of a “few reports of corruption within the institution”, and have asked the Conservator of Forest to look into them. He said the reports mainly dealt with accountability and transparency issues.

The new legislative policies will act as appropriate frameworks for the management of this country’s costal zones, Moonilal said adding every citizen can play a role in protecting the environment.

He said the concept of a costal zone cannot be seen as a strip of land, separate from land masses, since issues such as pollution impact on costal areas.

“In the 13 small island developing states (SIDS), high population density and residential developments have led to the detriment of costal water quality. Forests play a key role in mitigating this problem,” Moonilal said.

As such, Moonilal referred to an incident two weeks ago which involved a “show down” between fete organisers and his ministry.

“They wanted to host a weekend fete on the beach where turtles are nesting. Together with the NGO group, Trini Eco Warriors, the ministry mobilised legal resources and was able to block the issuance of a liquor licences for the fete,” Moonilal said.

The minister said the workshop was important in sesensitising the population to its role and responsibility and threats to the environment.

Source:Trinidada & Tobago Newsday