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Liberia: Gbarpolu Citizens Request Critical Information
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The Analyst (Monrovia)
24 April 2008
Posted to the web 24 April 2008
Citizens hailing from Gbarpolu County are requesting what they called critical information from the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) regarding the Entity's scopes of operation in their forest
The citizens are also requesting access to foundation data on the conduct of social economic surveys by FDA in Bokomu and Geu-Nwolaila Districts if there any, wherein the forestlands under private deed and, community ownership and tenure have been awarded under time sale contract and are been proposed as Forest Management Contract areas by the Authority.
They made the representation in a press release, which quoted a letter dated April 19, 2008 and addressed to FDA Managing Director John Woods.
The citizens through want the FDA provide them copies of the 2006 National Forestry Reform Law, the existing Forestry Regulations, and the Handbook on the preparations of Timber Sale and Forest Management contracts.
The jurisdiction and documents for awarding the TSCs and proposing the FMCs, as well as the comprehensive report covering the "Social Economic Surveys" validation awarding TSC and justifying proposing FMC, particularly in Bokomu and Geu-Nwolaila Districts.
The citizens also want report on minutes of meetings held with affected communities in the Districts endorsing the justification document of the Timber Sale and Forest Management contracts in their areas.
They also want a copy of comments from the Forest Management Advisory Committee (FMAC) on the draft of the strategy to the Board of Directors, a copy of the FDA Board's resolution endorsing the timber sale contract in Bokomu District and any comment.
The release also said Gbarpolu citizens are also requesting that FDA provides them additional information including copies of the National Forest Management Strategy, resolution of the Board adopting the Strategy as well as accompanying documents that went along with the draft strategy to the Board of Directors covering information such as comments from the public and other stakeholders on the draft strategy, report on the validation process detailing analysis of the ecological and social-economic data gathered during the field exercise and any other relevant information.
According to the release, the citizens in their letter to Mr. Woods, stressed their unlimited right to information, noting that such right is consistent with Article 15-c of the Liberian Constitution, as well as Section 18>15 of the 2006 National Forestry Reform Law, which provides access to forest related information.
They reminded the FDA Boss that under the National Forestry Reform Law of 2006, private and deeded lands are excluded from being issued any Timber Sale Contract or Forest Management Contract.
Bokomu and Geu-Nwolaila Districts citizens then drew Mr. Woods' attention to Section 5.4 of the National Forestry Reform Law of 2006 on timber sale contract.
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It states that the authority may award timber sale contract following the requirement of legislation governing public concessions and that timber sale contract act or its successor consistent with the National Forestry Management Strategy in effect when the contract is awarded and the area must be validated locally as provided under Section 4.5 of the Law and the land involved must not include private land.
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