By Fatou Sillah
The Minister of Environment, Climate Change, and Natural Resources, Rohey Manjang, has clarified that the government cannot enforce a total ban on timber harvesting and usage, emphasizing instead the importance of regulating forest resources through a permit system.
Her remarks were made in response to the joint committee report on Environment and Agriculture, which investigated transhumance activities in The Gambia.
Minister Manjang noted that timber and other forest products remain essential natural resources and therefore cannot be entirely prohibited under existing legislation.
“We cannot completely ban timber cutting or usage; these resources are necessary. However, we must regulate their use to ensure that endangered species are protected,” she stated.
The minister further underscored that the ministry operates strictly within legal frameworks, ensuring that all resource utilization adheres to established administrative and environmental procedures.
“Even those that are even more endangered, whereby their existence also affects human life, we will give a permit for it to be cut, so we are working within this. Our trees are even more protected than human beings if you follow the law,” she added.
Minister Manjang also urged the public to follow proper procedures when obtaining timber permits and to refrain from engaging in illegal activities related to forest resources.
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