By: Mohamed M. Sesay
During the two days of extensive Tree Planting activities initiated by the Pujehun District Students Association (PuDSA) in Pujehun Town, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Njala University Professor Bashiru Koroma has over the weekend encouraged PuDSA to invest in building a community for social forestry as part of measures to protect the environment from global warming and climate change.
In his PowerPoint presentation, Professor Bashiru Koroma confessed that Planting Economic Trees on the Right of Way of Trunk Roads in Pujehun District Southern Sierra Leone helps Strengthen Sustainable Youth Empowerment in Agro-Forestry and Climate Change Adaptation.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor also intimated to the students that forests provide essential sources of domestic earnings to meet the needs of the rural forest community.
He however, noted that there are high risks attached to unregulated logging, slash-and-burn farming, and increased demand from the growing population. He said such activities pose serious threats to the existing forestry resources in Pujehun District. He reminds indigenes of Pujehun District that weak Local Governance in the post-rebel war period, uncontrolled land-use practices, including extensive illegal logging, and the widespread expropriation of land from villagers, exacerbated the lack of community participation in forest management.
“What the local reform would examine in terms of the processes and procedures for the establishment and management of community forestry within and between villages close to one another, taking into cognizance schools for land ownership and Rights? How the policy change strategy could be prepared for local people’s understanding of and support for community forestry?”, he asked the gathering.
Professor Koroma also acknowledged that People’s livelihood is largely dependent on agriculture. He added that regenerating 2000 hectares of Agro-forestry on the Right of the Way for Trunk Road from Bandajuma to Jendema, Bandajuma to Pujehun, and Pujehun via Masahun Kpaka to Potoru, is a purposeful and justifiable initiative for youth empowerment across the first zone of growth in five years.
He furthered that Pupils in higher Primary Schools (NPSE class) and those in Secondary Schools for BECE and WASSCE classes of intervening Towns and Villages may be perceived as the target youth for the next proposal. He suggested a Sensitized in hands-on training to fully acquire the knowledge and skills for economic tree planting bridges the gap in understanding the consequences of land degradation.
Suggesting for PuDSA to further undertake a massive tree planting activity across Pujehun District, Professor Bashiru revealed that Pujehun is an environment where the right to land is not strictly attached to compelling family property ownership. In retrospect, he said 10 Schools (Primary and Secondary) should be involved in the next tree planting activities. He added that each of the proposed Right of the Way Trunks Roads prescribed should have the selection of 100 pupils in each school.
He added that each pupil should be apportioned a reasonable acreage of tree planning size (not less than 1 acre. Professor Koroma Assured that such would provide a sizeable portion of Right to Land for a growing child thus, leading to the establishment of 1000 acres in the first growing season and 2000 acres for the two life cycles of the project.
In his statement as the Keynote Speaker, the Minister of Environment Professor Foday Jaward described the tree planting initiative by PuDSA as a laudable initiative. He added that Pujehun would be a better place if stakeholders can emulate and support PuDSA for similar activities.
He highlighted eleven Benefits of tree planting which include: timber logging, a refreshing environment, economic benefits, addressing environmental hazards, climate change, and medical value among others.
Professor Jaward recalled that before the establishment of the Ministry of Environment, there were agencies manned to address environmental hazards such as forestry, Wild Life, Metrology, Nuclear safety and radiation, Environment Protection Agency, and National Protected Area Authority among others. He added that the aforementioned agencies used to have their laws but were not effective simply because the laws were extremely outdated. He concluded by commending PuDSA and also assured his Ministry’s unflinching support towards PuDSA’s proposal in addressing environmental hazards.
Various stakeholders expressed their excessive gratifications for the Pujehun Green Movement challenge initiated by PuDSA including a representative for the host Paramount Chief PC Ibrahim Jaiah Kaikai. The National President of the Pujehun District Students Association Benson Allieu Kpakamoi Rogers extended his profound thanks and appreciation for all the support from stakeholders. He made a special appeal to the Minister of Environment for additional support for tree planting in the future. The occasion was climaxed with a presentation of the project proposal to the Minister of Environmental for onwards consideration and symbolic tree planting activities on the outskirt of the District Council Hall.
