Maputo — The Cabo Delgado provincial nucleus of the Mozambican chapter of the regional press freedom body MISA (Media Institute of Southern Africa) has decided to train its members in issues related to the exploitation of forestry resources.

This measure was proposed when MISA-Cabo Delgado noted a lack of knowledge of forestry matters on the part of journalist in this northern Mozambican province, where logging is a significant part of the economy.

Lack of proper training, MISA argues, makes it difficult for journalists to ask the write questions, and to investigate forestry issues in any depth.

"Since we have now identified the problem, we shall make the effort to train and update ourselves continually", declared MISA-Cabo Delgado, at the opening of a training seminar on Monday. "We in Cabo Delgado understand that, just like oil and other natural resources, forestry exploitation has a specific nature that journalists should understand. It also seems clear to us that this is a particularly litigious sector, and it is thus advisable that we treat it in a specialized manner".

During the four day seminar, held under the theme "The Role of the Mass Media in Exploiting Natural Resources: the Case of Forestry in Cabo Delgado", journalists will meet with representatives of the various stakeholders in forestry. They will be looking at the current levels of the exploitation of the province's forests and whether this is sustainable, government policies and their application, and the potential for corruption.

The seminar has been sponsored by the international conservation NGO, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).