Podić addressed the KS Assembly: Forests will continue to be cleared, and business circles will profit

(Patria) - The KS Assembly is today considering amendments to the Law on Forests of Sarajevo Canton. The KS Assembly allowed Anes Podić from EcoAction to address them, who explained that all their proposals regarding the amendments to the law were rejected.

"Given the state of our forest areas, amendments to the Law are urgently needed so that, in a time of rapidly worsening climate crisis, we can effectively protect our forests, which, among other things, protect us from floods, preserve our drinking water, and are globally the best natural solution for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Currently, they are exposed to frenzied logging and clearing that turns entire hillsides and mountains into barren land and construction sites. and.

He stated that all their proposals were rejected.

"It was requested that public hearings be introduced during the process of adopting the cantonal forest development plan and forest management plan and its revision - rejected. It was requested that the cantonal forest development plan and forest management plan and its revision be made available to the public online - rejected. It was requested that a new article be added to the Law regulating public participation in decision-making - rejected. Strict genetic reserves and seed bases from all ecological niches were requested to be ensured - rejected. It was requested that the costs of special forest management within protected areas be borne by the legal entity managing the declared protected area, and only for forests in private ownership, in order to facilitate the creation of new protected areas - rejected. It was requested that the obligation to install barriers on forest roads be added, which would dramatically reduce forest theft - rejected. It was requested that the possibility of organizing motorcycle races in forests that permanently damage the soil and endanger wildlife be abolished – rejected. It was requested that the clearing of forests (which actually means changing the purpose of usually state-owned forest land into private construction land) be decided by the Assembly with public hearings - rejected. We note that this means that the Ravna Vala primeval forest on Bjelašnica can now be cleared. It was requested that the construction of paintball polygons, ski slopes, and zip line structures in the Ravna Vala primeval forest and other protected forests be prohibited - rejected. A minimum budget amount of 1.8% of tax and non-tax revenues determined by the Budget for the previous year for the protection and improvement of existing forests and the establishment of new forests was requested - rejected. We requested that fines for forest theft and other violations in this area be increased - rejected," said Podić.

The legal obligation was to harmonize the fines with the provisions of the FBiH Law on Misdemeanors from 2014. This was not done - symbolic fines were left for offenders, said Podić.

"Thus, this set of authorities is also setting the course towards the complete destruction of forests, as a natural value and public good, and in the interest of commercial construction that will bring profit only to selected business circles. In this regard, megalomaniacal projects have already been announced on Bjelašnica, around the former Igman hotel and on Veliko Polje on Igman, and the City Council recently unanimously adopted a proposal to allow construction in protected areas (Trebević, Dariva). A similar fate likely awaits the protected area of Vrelo Bosne, given the conclusions of the thematic session of the Ilidža Municipal Council on reducing the water protection zone for construction. We feel obliged, as long-time activists for the preservation of natural values and public goods, to state this as well: in relation to natural values and public goods, we see no difference between different party compositions that have been in power in Sarajevo Canton in the last 25 years," said Podić in his address.