By: Haruna Kuyateh
The Chairman of the Dobo Forest Committee in Central Badibou, North Bank Region, has hailed the Department of Forestry’s direct seed-sowing initiative as an important step towards restoring the country’s depleted forest cover.
Mamadou Jallow said the sowing of seeds on two hectares of land in the Dobo Joint Forest Park was contributing to efforts to restore degraded forest areas through community participation and sustainable forest management.
He was speaking to The Voice on Wednesday during an assessment of community participation in forest restoration and efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Jallow said the seeds sown in the forest had recorded significant germination and called on residents to actively protect the young trees from destruction.
He also commended former Regional Forestry Officer Pierre R. Colley for the direct sowing of palm seeds over the past two years, saying the trees were developing well.
The Dobo Forest Committee chairman urged residents of Central Badibou to protect the forest against illegal activities, particularly the destruction of trees.
He also appealed to livestock herders to avoid grazing in designated forest areas to prevent damage to young trees and allow them to grow.
Jallow expressed appreciation to the Department of Forestry for promoting direct seed sowing as part of efforts to restore depleted forest cover.
He further called on communities and other stakeholders to support national tree-planting efforts by planting and protecting trees around farms and within communities as part of measures to address climate change.
The Dobo Forest Management Committee said continued collaboration between the Forestry Department and local communities would be essential to ensuring the sustainability of forest restoration efforts.