Kathmandu, February 4
The Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ) has objected to the government’s decision of scrapping the controversial Scientific Forest Management programme.
Earlier last week, Forests and Environment Minister Prem Bahadur Ale had announced that the government decided to discontinue the programme after reports of it ironically promoting deforestation.
But, NEFEJ in a statement says the programme was not faulty in itself, and some shortcomings seen in its implementation could have been corrected effectively.
Meanwhile, the organisation has accused the government of showing double standard regarding environmental conservation and sustainable development. Yet in another example of the double standard, NEFEJ says, the decision to scrap the Scientific Forest Management programme contradicted its policy of promoting forest-based industries and generating employment.
