Policy and Strategy for the Forestry and Range Management Sub-Sectors

Policy and Strategy for Forestry and Range Management Sub-Sectors is a national Policy aims to protect, rehabilitate, and develop forests and ranges in the country. The Policy emphasizes the sustainable use and sustainable development of forests and rangeland. The Policy aims to achieve a balance between maximization of productivity of agricultural lands and natural resources in one hand, and the protection and development of natural and wildlife resources on the other hand. To meet this objective, the Policy sets a number of strategies for utilization of forests and ranges, establishment of a sustained balance between production of dryland farming, irrigated farming, livestock husbandry, forest products, wildlife exploitation in one hand and their protection on the other hand, improvement of the community-based management and development of forests, rangeland, and wildlife. The Policy sets provisions for the regulation of forests resources, ranges, and wildlife for use of people and authorities; community’s contribution in decision making and planning; recognition of right of people to use the forests, ranges, and wildlife resources; consideration of the public benefits; consideration of all potential uses of forests and ranges resources; provision of a standard system for evaluation of lands; promotion of social protection system; improvement of fodder supplies for animals; combating drought and desertification in the country; usage of modern technical methods for improvement of forests’ productions and environment protection. The Government is required to prepare a legal system for the use of forests and ranges by people and transfer the grazing lands to qualified people or institutions. The integrated natural resource management approach shall be taken by sub-sector partners for management of forests and rangelands. To meet the community-based managerial approach, people and communities are required to create planning and organization committee, make fundamental decisions on local strategies, provide human and technical resources, monitor the implementation of regulations, evaluate the market, and facilitate the access to basic services. The Policy asks for the establishment of a Central Forests Research Facility.