Investigation of foreign investors omitted

Investigation of foreign investors omitted
from key Forestry Bill

• AFC to protest when Parliament
reconvenes
Kaieteur News. 16 October 2007

The Alliance for Change (AFC) has announced it will protest sections of
a new forestry bill which do not contain important legislation
protecting Guyana 's natural resources.

AFC also slammed a key section, included in the 1996 Exploratory Lease
legislation, but omitted from Forestry Bill # 21, which calls
specifically for background investigation of foreign investors.

“The Alliance For Change after reviewing the Forestry Bill #21, 2007,
has serious concerns and reservations about many aspects of the Bill
and welcomes the statement made by the Honorable Minister of
Agriculture that the Bill would be sent to a special select committee
of Parliament for review and to benefit from the contributions of
stakeholders,” the party highlighted in a statement.

Noting the importance of forest resources to Guyana , AFC pointed out
that conservation and protection would only be best secured when this
Government recognizes the real values of forest products, environmental
services and its accrued social benefits to Guyanese.

“This fundamental premise is the basis upon which this PPP/Civic
administration must provide a policy and legal framework for the
strengthening of institutions and the enforcement of laws for the
management, conservation and sustainable development of this nation's
land and forest resources.”

One of the specific important concerns is that “almost the whole of
Guyana 's forest estate has already been allocated for timber
production,” AFC said.

“The National Forest Policy identifies forest lands not only for
production, but states areas must be set aside for protection, for
conversion, and for conservation. The Forest Bill #21, 2007 has made no
provision that ensures that important aspect of land and forest
resources management is enshrined in law.”

Another concern regards the 1996 Exploratory Lease legislation which
was proposed and supported by the Government and approved in
Parliament.

“This ensured that due diligence had to be conducted on forest sector
investors before any decision was made on the issuing of a Timber Sales
Agreement.

This important component of that legislation has now been totally
ignored in this new Forest Bill,” AFC argued.

• The party said that it will be endorsing a petition, details of
which would be given later, which it would present to the National
Assembly when it reconvenes later this year.