Machakos Governor Dr. Alfred Mutua has banned logging in the county for the next three years.
I have today banned tree harvesting/logging in Machakos County for three years, regardless of who has planted them. Trees that will need to be cut to pave way for development works by individuals will only be undertaken with written permission from the County govt. pic.twitter.com/I8kKU8wROt
— Dr. Alfred Mutua (@DrAlfredMutua) March 1, 2018
Mutua, who also launched a project to plant 50 million trees by 2022, said he targets to raise forest cover from the current 4.5 per cent in the county to the globally recommended minimum of 10 per cent.
“Our aim is for every person in Machakos to plant and take care of five trees by December of this year. Our target is to plant a minimum of 7 million trees and to have 5 million trees survive by the end of 2018,” he added.
We have a plan; Every person domiciled in Machakos to plant and take care of at least 5 trees by December…Our target is to plant over 50 million trees in Machakos by 2022. #MachakosTupandeMiti pic.twitter.com/NbZhCgQ0Rh
— Dr. Alfred Mutua (@DrAlfredMutua) March 1, 2018
“We cannot be struggling to plant and maintain trees while at the same time cutting trees. From today, I am banning tree harvesting/logging in Machakos County for three years, regardless of who has planted them.”
He said special permits from my office will be given to business people who planted trees for business and need to harvest them but no permits will be given in 2018.
The governor launched the initiative days after the national government slapped a 90-day ban on logging following concerns that Kenya’s major forests have been decimated by illegal loggers. The destruction of trees has been linked to the current drought, rising temperatures and the drying up of rivers.
“Trees that will need to be cut to pave way for development works by individuals will only be cut down with written permission from the county. Special permits from my office will be given to business people who planted trees for business and need to harvest them,” Added Mutua.
Under the programme however, no permits will however be given in 2018.
Special permits from my office will be given to business people who planted trees for business and need to harvest them; however, no permits will be given this calendar year 2018.#MachakosTupandeMiti
— Dr. Alfred Mutua (@DrAlfredMutua) March 1, 2018
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