Forest Act, no. 3 of 2018.

This Act, consisting of 134 Sections and divided into twenty Parts, provides for the maintenance and the development of forest resources of The Gambia, in order to enhance the contribution of forestry to the socio-economic development of the country, and therefore covers the following matters: agro-forestry; commercial activities; community management; importation and exportation of forest products; forest clearing; forest management plan; forest parks; forest produce, including: timber, firewood, charcoal, rubber, plants, peat, surface oil and minerals and any other produces found in the forests; forest species and trees; private forest; protected forest; protection forest; plantation measures; State forest; riverine forest. Part II provides for measures on forest delimitation and include: ownership of trees and forest produces; categories and classification of forest. Part III concerns administrative provisions and duties and functions of the Department of Forestry, including: monitoring the use of forest resources; appointment and duties of forest officers.
Part IV covers measures for declaring and managing forest parks, and defines rights over land and privileges in forest parks. Part V provides for: proposals for declaring and creating community forests; notification of lands to be declared as community forest; special agreements on community forest management; resolution of conflicts between communities; offences in community forests and offences committed by community forest committees. Part VI concerns community controlled State forests and the ministerial powers to grant and revoke customary rights and relating responsibilities. Part VII covers measures on creation and management of joint forest parks and areas. Part VIII provides measures for private forests management, including: acquisition of private natural forest; forest produces in private forests; control of private forests; offences in private forests. Parts IX and X concern management and protection of forests; measures to ensure protection; monitoring of forestry operations; suspension and termination of licences and permits; forest research; development and implementation of National Forest Action Plan; assessment in forest parks, community forests and private natural forests; management of forest reserves and community controlled forests; regeneration of exploited areas; conversion of natural forests into plantation; assessment of forest fires, and fire management plans; forestry impact assessment of farming and industrial activities; promoting investment for the sustainable use of forest resources; incentives access and benefit sharing.
Further matters covered by this Act include: measures for ensuring protection of any species of flora; development and implementation of a recovery plan for protected flora; protection of forest produces in State land and customary land; establishment of forestry fund, in order to promote the protection and sustainable management of forest resources; protection forests and declaration of wind and water erosion area; marking of timber and other forest produces; certification for importing and exporting of forest produces and relating offences; general offences, penalties and forfeitures.