Agriculture Ministry says efforts are ongoing to govern management of Wallings Forest, amid row

0
822
front 5 wallings more
Refica Attwood’s efforts regenerating the rainforest area earned her a Commonwealth award last month
- Advertisement -

By Theresa Goodwin

[email protected]

The Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed that work remains underway to finalise a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Wallings Nature Reserve regarding the management of its forestry area.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the ministry said that a newly assigned legal officer had been engaging with partners to determine how best to guide the drafting of the MOU.

The confirmation came a day after Refica Attwood, the Executive Director of the company which currently manages the country’s first community-led national park, implied that she was no longer interested in being involved in the project.

The 33-year-old’s efforts – that began with a $50,000 grant in 2016 which Attwood used to regenerate the 1,680-acre expanse of rainforest – earned her a Commonwealth award last month.

On Monday, Attwood told listeners to Observer AM that she had been working since 2018 to establish a permanent agreement with the ministry regarding the management of the park, but has been met with a series of setbacks.

She also claimed that last week, a ministry official went as far as to contact donors to ask about their relationship with the nature reserve and why they were supporting it.

Attwood also took issue with a Facebook message she received from the ministry’s newly appointed legal officer to request talks about the project. She referred to that method of communication as unprofessional and out of line.

In its response, the ministry said that its objective is to establish a public-private partnership agreement through an MOU to bring into compliance and govern the multi-stakeholder management and operations of the Wallings Forest.

In the release, the ministry noted that while it commends the company for its efforts in managing and developing the forestry area, the company is operating on government lands and must, therefore, adhere to certain procedures.

“The ministry notes that the Wallings Nature Reserve operates on Crown land; there must be adherence to due procedure, statutory obligations, and the right of other partners, and accountability mechanisms,” the statement said.

“Despite frustrated efforts, the ministry remains steadfast in its commitment to realising the establishment of the MOU to bring onboard more donors and other regional and international partners for greater support,” it added.

It also pointed out that the ministry and, by extension, the government is hoping that the MOU will serve as a model to enable other community groups to become more active participants in the green economy and the country’s sustainable development.

- Advertisement -