Forestry MCS Ensures Checks and Balances in Sector
Forest law enforcement is an integral function of the Ministry of Forestry. In what is better known as the Forest Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) – the project aims to elevate the compliance capacity of forest harvesting practises to balance the socio-economic and ecological forests benefits to all forest owners and users.
Legislation and Awareness
The operations of the Ministry of Forestry are guided by the following legislations and policies; Fiji Forest Act -1992, National Forest Policy - 2007, National Code of Harvesting Practice- 2013, Rural Land Use Policy-2002 and Environment Management Act-2005.
Apart from these, Ministry personnel work closely with relevant Government agencies and key stakeholders and has formalised partnerships with the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS), Fiji Police Force (FPF) and the Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF) in order to ensure a united front against illegal forest activities like illegal logging.
Strengthening the legal approach to forestry crime in the country, 15 staff members were part of the prosecution and investigation training that was provided by the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) in June 2022.
Members of the public are also empowered to report illegal forest activities and pledge to “Say No to Illegal Logging”. Launched a year ago in Labasa, the pledge has gained momentum in the community and amongst key stakeholders who have made a commitment to uphold forestry law.
According to Forestry Executive Director Operations and Services (EDOS) Tevita Bulai, illegal logging is defined as “the harvest, transportation and purchase or sale of timber in contravention or violation of the national forestry laws.”
He further added that “encroachment on forest reserve land is also illegal. Any violation of forestry law is punishable by up to a $10,000 fine or 12 month imprisonment or both”.
Illegal forest activities rob not only the landowners of fair and equitable returns but it also fuels activities in the black economy which reduces Government earnings and economic gain.
Mechanics of MCS
The main role of MCS is to ensure stakeholder compliance with all forestry legislation. Established in 2006, MCS has an annual budget of $100,000. MCS checks include stamped logs, truck passes, spot checks and harvesting plans to name a few.
Apart from spot checks to contractors, MCS also works to mitigate the adverse environmental impacts of forest harvesting. As such, an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) is one of the requirements when applying for a harvesting license. To ensure a balance between extraction and conservation, Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) is practiced as contractors have to replant the area that they harvest from to ensure that future generations can also reap the same economic rewards from their forest resources.
Commercial harvesting in Fiji largely follows conventional practices which allow the removal of all merchantable species in a logging coupe that have a girth of 35cm and above. To boost export demand and open up international markets, the Ministry is working on forest certification.
The adoption of sustainable forest management principles such as reduced impact logging, diameter limit tables and management of large areas of forest using sustainable principles will not only address forest degradation and deforestation, but will also contribute to livelihoods, income generation and employment, carbon sequestration, water, soil and biodiversity conservation.
Stakeholder Compliance
To ensure higher compliance from forestry stakeholders, awareness workshops have been conducted across Fiji. This provides an opportunity for stakeholders to interact with Ministry staff and also learn more about the requirements when applying for licenses and their obligations towards forestry laws and policies.
While the Ministry strives to ensure that licenses are issued within 48 hours, applicants are reminded that the licenses will only be issued once the check list requirements have been met.
To assist with compliance the Ministry provides training. Harvesting crews include chainsaw operators. The Ministry works with individuals and companies to provide this training and also ensure their annual license renewal. Requests for chainsaw operator training are received mostly from communities and land owing units who want to rip timber for personal use e.g. build houses and/or use this skill to gain employment.
Executive Director Bulai shared that “apart from compliance for systems and processes, the Ministry also works with agencies like FNPF and FRCS to ensure that individuals and companies are licensed to operate in the forestry sector as illegal operations not only refers to sourcing raw materials illegally but also to company operations.”
Checks and Balances
Compliance in the forestry sector is a global issue. In Fiji, the Ministry is working to address this through the MCS Project together with forestry law and policies as increased compliance will boost investor confidence thus contributing positively to the social, economic and environmental aspects of the sector.