Regional forestry meet opens in Kigali

A team of parliamentarians, government officials and nongovernmental organizations from Central and East African countries, are meeting in Kigali to share experiences and develop a common strategy towards coming up with suitable forestry policies.The three-day meeting is organized by World Future Council—an international organization that focuses on informing or reminding governments the responsibilities they hold on the effects that might arise in the future because of policies or decisions they take.Speaking to the media, the organization`s Director, Alexandra Wandel, said the decision to hold the meeting in Kigali was based on the exemplary strides the country`s forestry policy has taken.“Last year, Rwanda`s forest policy was recognized as the best and we awarded it the “Future Policy Award” therefore, we wanted other countries to have lessons so that they can also emulate what has been done here,” said Wandel.She explained that ranking the policy as best was based not only on the government’s move towards having over 30 percent of the country`s land covered by forests, but also because of the land tenure system.“The reforms that have been made so far, especially in environment protection, are not only good for Rwanda but the region and world over,” she said.Among others, Wandel pointed out that the successful banning of polythene and plastic bags is a strategy that prepares a country`s better environmental future. The Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Caroline Kayonga, highlighted the measures the government had taken to promote forestry.“Among others, we have promoted the planting of tress, including indigenous species, but most important of all, the local population is not only directly involved in planting, but also in the management of the forests through the capacity building programmes on forest management,” Kayonga said. She added that during the three days, the team will go on the field to observe what has been done in promoting and preserving the forests among others.Speaking to The Sunday Times, participants are optimistic the meeting will create a positive impact.“Governments have different forest policies but the effects of climate change affect us the same way; meaning we must come together to devise means through which we can overcome or mitigate the effects,” said Josephat Sinkamba Kandenge, a Parliamentarian from Tanzania.