PSD unveils new measures to protect Kingdom’s forests

AMMAN — The Public Security Department’s (PSD) Rangers, in cooperation with the Agriculture Ministry’s Forestry Department, announced on Tuesday that they would increase patrols to curb violations on forests, especially with the onset of winter.

In a statement sent to The Jordan Times, the PSD noted that administrative and legal procedures would be taken against violators and that the department would enhance surveillance and prosecution against random logging, adding that the decision aims to preserve the Kingdom’s forests.

The PSD said that according to the law, logging of perennial trees can only occur after receiving special permits issued by the Agriculture Ministry. This guarantees that no damage comes to the Kingdom’s environment or forests.

Rangers will also monitor olive presses and tankers to ensure their owners’ commitment to health and public safety standards while minimising olive presses waste and ensuring waste disposal in allocated areas to preserve soil fertility and the purity of surface and ground water, the PSD added.

The Agriculture Ministry recently announced a new policy to address violations on bare forest land.

Under the new policy, the agriculture and interior ministries will enhance the monitoring and handling of violations on uncultivated forest land, with the former drafting new regulations that ban issuing commuted sentences to those who commit such infringements, Agriculture Minister Akef Zu’bi said at a recent press conference.

A total of 12,000 violations have been recorded on bare forestry lands, the minister said, highlighting that 7,000-8,000 of those breaches occurred in the last 25 years.

Forestry lands amount to 1.5 million dunums, of which 250,000 dunums are bare, 400,000 dunums are natural forests, 500,000 dunums are planted forests and 350,000 are nature reserves, Forestry Department Director Eid Zu’bi said in previous remarks to The Jordan Times.