On 28 May 2019, a workshop in Bijelo Polje was attended by representatives of Montenegro’s forestry sector, including the General Secretary for Forestry and the Director of the Forest Administration, as well as concession holders, the non-governmental sector, local authorities, forestry experts and members of the Coordination Committee for monitoring the action plan for combating illegal activities in forestry.

Representative of the Coordination Committee highlighted the results of their earlier activities. Franc Ferlin outlined the requirements of the FSC Forest Management Standards with regard to illegal activities.

The workshop was preceded by donation of a mobile scale to control the weight of transported wood, and a field visit close to Bijelo Polje where illegal logging has been detected. In the last two months, almost 1,000 m³ of illegally felled wood had been detected. Four people working on forest protection were temporarily removed from their jobs, and a criminal complaint filed against one person.

After the workshop, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between project representatives and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Forest Administration.

The event was organised within the framework of the NORAD-funded project Regional Action for Combating Forest Crime and Corruption being implemented in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia by CNVP, Greenhome and FEA.

For more information, contact sanja.orlandic@greenhome.co.me