Despite concerns from environmentalists, Kenyan President William Ruto has announced the lifting of a logging ban that has been in place in the country for nearly six years.
The move is “long overdue” and aims to create jobs and open up new sectors of the economy that depend on wood products, the president said on Sunday in Molo, about 200 kilometers northwest of Nairobi.
It was “madness” that “trees in the forests rot away when people don’t have enough wood,” Ruto added. That’s why Kenya decided to clear the forest for logging, he explained.
Greenpeace warns of catastrophic consequences
Ruto, who is considered one of the pioneers in the fight against climate change on the African continent, also assured that the government remains committed to its goal of planting 15 billion trees in the next ten years.
The lifting of the ban will lead to a resurgence of sawmills and timber trade, Ruto said. The previous government imposed the ban in 2018 to combat illegal logging and increase the forest cover in Kenya to ten percent.
According to Greenpeace Africa, catastrophic consequences for the environment are imminent: “Since the Kenyan government imposed the logging ban six years ago, significant progress has been made in protecting forests and combating the climate crisis,” the organization said. Lifting the ban will “undo all our hard work and open the floodgates to commercial and illegal logging for profit.”
(dsc/sda/afp)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
