"Community Forestry is Sine Quo to Development"
http://allafrica.com/stories/200307070522.html

The Independent (Banjul)
NEWS
July 4, 2003
Posted to the web July 7, 2003
Banjul

Community Forestry in the Gambia is crucial to poverty eradication and
sustainable development, according to Impact Assessment Report.

The report, which was conducted and presented by a team of international
consultants and data-collectors highlights the importance of rural
population awareness on environmental problems and knowledge of forest
protection and management practices.

The impact assessment, which was conducted between the period of March and
June 2003, looked at ecological, economic, social and cultural impacts on
Participatory Forest Management Approach in 24 community forests
countrywide.

Ecologically, it indicates that the recent trend show a slow down of forest
degradation in all areas with some species being endangered, whilst
economic trends shows that incomes arising from community forests through
commercialization as a group venture is still very low.

The report indicates that women still lack adequate support for community
activities as a group venture, whilst their men counterpart continued to be
the sole controllers of most community forestry related incomes and
benefits accrued therein.

Speaking to the independent, shortly after the presentation of the report,
Director of Forestry, Jato Sillah said "since the Gambia got its Forestry
Policy amended in 1996 and Forestry Act in 1990, they have come to realize
that community forestry could breed success in our country drive to attain
poverty eradication and sustainable development", which he said are crucial
for the upliftment of ecological and socio-economic condition of the
masses.

Thus, he said the Impact Assessment would enable them to know the real
impact of community forestry on the communities when they are handed over
to them in the near future. He said the current trend of natural resources
management is not encouraging as it continued to deplete and degrade our
environmental preservation, noting that unless we efficiently manage our
forest cover and fauna, vast amount of our agricultural production will
continue to face set backs, and "if unchecked would lead to continuous
dependence on outside inputs", he explained.



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