Conservation minister admits govt has failed to stop illegal logging

 

Minister Win Tun also said that although his ministry had fine policies for forest management, it did not have an adequate grasp of what is occurring on the ground.

Win Tun said illegal logging could only be stopped with the full cooperation of local governments and agencies, village and town elders, and local communities.

He was responding to a question raised by MP Khin Hmwe Lwin about whether deforestation was a result of the current forest-management system, failed polices or corruption.

Deforestation was worsening due to excessive logging, Khin Hmwe Lwin said. “Just look at the deteriorating situation. The lack of the rule of law is the major cause.” 

The ministry allows logging for domestic use and the production of finished products. It says it has implemented forest-management projects in 63 districts annually since the fiscal year that began on April 1, 2006. The projects are based on data collected in each district, it says.

Despite the ban on the export of raw logs, Illegal logging remains widespread, environmental and other civic groups have said. Reporters have also found it easy to document cases of illegal logging. The crime is widely reported by media. 

“Despite the export ban, reports on illegal logging can be seen in the media,” Khin Hmwe Lwin said. He added that in his region illegal loggers simply circumvented the law by obtaining official documents allowing them to retrieve logs that had been seized by authorities. Some companies are harvesting 10 times the amount of logs they are legally permitted to, Khin Hmwe Lwin said.

Win Tun said he believed it was still possible to protect the country’s shrinking forests. “Illegal logging can be reduced by systematic action based on existing laws and by-laws,” he said. 

The ministry reviews the amount of forest coverage every 10 years, using satellite photos and surveys.

Win Tun said his ministry had fine ideals as well as a strategy, but admitted it lacked realistic data. “With the aim of ensuring environmental conservation and sustainable development, eight objectives have been included in a national-level project. The ministry’s aim is good, but it has yet to obtain the actual figures about what is occurring on the ground,” he said.