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<\/div>The\u00a0Green\u00a0Thinking Action\u00a0Party\u00a0has\u00a0opposed\u00a0the proposed Forest Conservation and Management (Amendment) Bill, 2021.\n<\/p>\n
The National Assembly\u2019s Procedure and House Rules Committee wants MPs to repeal a section of the Forest Conservation and Management Act 2016.\n<\/p>\n
The Act protects forests from actions that endanger rare, threatened, or endangered species. The committee wants to do away with section 34(2) of the law that compels petitioners seeking variation of boundaries or excision of public forests to get a nod from the Kenya Forest Service (KFS). <\/p>\n
If passed into law, KFS will lose powers to permit variation of boundaries of a public forest or excision of a public forest.\n<\/p>\n
Yesterday, the\u00a0Green\u00a0Party\u00a0warned that the new Bill would expose public forests to arbitrary boundary changes and excisions, which would harm them and affect water catchment areas.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018If this happens, the critical ecological services and economic activities that rely on the water will suffer heavy blows,\u2019\u2019 GTAP leader Isaac Kalua\u00a0Green\u00a0said in a statement.\n<\/p>\n
He said if section 34(2) is repealed, we risk sliding back to days when public forest land was subject to political whims. Dr Kalua said the Act has stopped the destruction of forests as was seen in the 1990s and 2000s. Repealing the section will water down the gains, he said.\n<\/p>\n
The\u00a0party\u00a0argued that while the current Act requires KFS to ensure Local Forest Conservation Committees approve proposed variations of forest boundaries and that any such proposals undergo Independent Environmental Impact Assessment and full public participation, if the repeal succeeds, it will not allow that. <\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018We can read political opportunism in this memorandum. The procedure as currently constituted does not need streamlining. In fact, it needs further tightening,\u2019\u2019 said Kalua.\n<\/p>\n
The loss of powers by KFS, he said, will render it toothless in ensuring forest sanctity.\u00a0\u201cIf passed, the proposed amendment risks leading to deforestation,\u2019\u2019 he said. The conservationist also warned that the planned repeal of section 34(2) will render public forest land vulnerable to politically connected land grabbers.\n<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018We are\u00a0opposed\u00a0to the silent political undercurrents that are driving this proposed amendment.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
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