Forestry and Wildlife Conservation Law No. 69/2015.

This Law consisting of 36 articles aims at (i) halting the decline of the wildlife and destruction of habitats; (ii) protecting national biodiversity. The responsibilities of the Ministry of Environment and Rural Development in this regard are (i) to monitor and quantify plant and wildlife resources; (ii) to conduct research on the natural resources of the country and prepare a report; (iii) to enhance knowledge of the staff and other persons involved in the protection of forests and wildlife; (iv) organize national campaigns with the participation of all sections of the society; (v) develop reforestation programs; (vi) report endangered species to make programs and conservation efforts; (vii) create and manage parks; (viii) promote the creation and management of private and community forests; (ix) issue licenses to manage plant resources; (x) conduct research into alternative energy sources that do not harm the environment; (xi) generate energy to convert coal into plants; (xii) establish a Forest and Wildlife Service to enforce this Law; (xiii) collaborate with other ministries, NGOs, and other stakeholders to improve knowledge and equipment to protect the environment and wildlife. To assist in its work, the Ministry in collaboration with the other interested parties shall establish the following committees, at various levels (i) National Environmental Protection Committee (NEC); (ii) Regional Environmental Protection Committee (GIDHG); (iii) District Environmental Protection Committee (GIHD); (iv) local committee at the village level, constituted by man and women being well-known and well-informed citizens in the community.
The Law deals with the following items (i) conservation of plants that cannot be cut, burned, destroyed, or misused; (ii) conservation of grazing lands regulating their encroach, permits, movement of people and animals, exploration, the establishment of settlements or villages; (iii) creation and management of private and public forests concerning permits, environmental protection, and the promotion of plant cultivation and resource management; (iv) development of sustainable energy to not harm the environment and replace charcoal, including 100% tax-exempt gas and other related equipment; (v) parks, providing for the assessment of existing ones and the creation of new parks, including rules for the residents; (vi) management of the parks and their classification in (a) permanent reserves; (b) seasonal reserves; (c) drought reserves; (d) rotational reserves; (e) forestry reserves; (vii) creation of specific activities, such as fodder crop production, storage of trees and shrubs, tourism activities, closed space for the conservation of nature and biodiversity.
Chapter VI focuses on wildlife protection and includes several key provisions (i) a complete ban on hunting in Somaliland, along with a prohibition on issuing visas for hunting purposes; (ii) a ban on private ownership of wildlife; (iii) regulations governing the killing of animals; (iv) restrictions on the import and export of wildlife, including a ban on the introduction of alien species and the export of native species; and (v) the creation of breeding grounds for wildlife to prevent extinction, along with research centers to support reproduction efforts. Article 22 outlines the various types of licenses that the Ministry can issue. Chapter VIII addresses violations of the law’s provisions.