By: Kebba AF Touray
The youth of Siffoe in the Kombo South district of the West Coast Region during the weekend, embarked on a massive tree planting and clearing of the village’s Community Forest.
Speaking at the exercise, Buba M. Kanteh, Councilor for Kartong Ward, said the exercise was coordinated by the youth of Siffoe with the aim of replacing lost vegetation at the village’s community forest; that the exercise was very timely.
He applauded and commended the youth of Siffoe for their foresight, in coming out in their numbers, to work on their community forest; that planting various varieties of trees especially indigenous ones, will greatly serve the community to regenerate economic benefits from the forest.
“I thank the youth of Siffoe for their active participation geared towards complementing Government efforts. I urged you to be vigilant with forest intruders, to avoid pillage. Protecting the forest should be a collective responsibility and I call on the contribution of every Gambian to plant trees within their environment,” he said.
Kanteh further dilated on the need for all hands to be on deck, in the protection of our natural forest cover and avoid the exploitation of the forest for personal gains. He used the opportunity to call on the community of Siffoe to protect their community forest from exploitation and bushfires.
Amadou Demba, the youth representative of Siffoe, said the exercise is organized under the auspices of the youth of Siffoe; that the exercise is to clear the perimeter of their forest which covers 53 hectare of land. He said the village forest has been in existence, since the inception of the Gambia-German Forestry Project in 1987.
He seized the opportunity to warn forest estate agents to avoid Siffoe community forest, saying that serious monitoring will be mounted on the community forest, to see that it is free and protected in the interest of villagers.
