Kathmandu, May 10
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said
that the indiscriminate felling of Saal trees in the name of scientific
forest management will be strictly stopped.
Inaugurating the Second National
Forest Promotion Workshop organised by the Ministry of Forests and Environment
on Saturday, he said that Nepal's Saal forests are an exceptional
example of nature and that such tall trees are important for water retention,
so they should not be commercially utilised before reaching maturity.
“Though the slogan ‘Green forest is
Nepal’s wealth’ is an old one, forests had not been properly utilised as a
resource. However, we have now made a firm commitment to prevent the
destruction of forests and to contribute to the solar system’s balance by
conserving and properly utilising the forests,” said Prime Minister Oli.
According to him, Nepal has increased
efforts in forest conservation. Now, instead of merely expanding forest areas, it
needs to move towards productivity. “For the commercial utilisation of forests,
we must adopt a policy that avoids both haste and delay,” he said.
Currently, forests make up 46 per
cent of Nepal’s land area.
Noting that Nepal is a country rich
in nature and vitality, PM Oli highlighted that this also contributes to global
environmental efforts. He emphasised the need to strengthen forests and convert
bushlands into dense forests.
He further said that agriculture
and forestry officials could collaborate to promote fruit cultivation and that
olive farming could be expanded in the Himalayan region. He urged against
regionalism, encouraging cooperation among all regions.
Stressing that encouraging farmers
towards livestock farming would support renewable forestry, PM Oli added that
expanding pastureland would help integrate forest and agricultural ecosystems.
“I was criticised as being
anti-environment when I said we don’t need to further increase the number of
tigers. But people misunderstood. A tiger doesn’t read law books when it gets
hungry and can’t find food; it attacks people. Just because a tiger in a photo
looks harmless doesn’t mean it won’t cause harm,” said Prime Minister Oli.
Nepal has more than doubled its
tiger population in line with international commitments. Those living near
forests understand the difficulties involved. “Environmental conservation is
meant for the welfare of humanity. If humanity itself is unsafe, environmental
protection becomes meaningless,” he said.
He also pointed out that some
countries still refuse to honour the Paris Agreement and stressed the need for
global cooperation in this regard.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 11 May 2025.
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