Abdoulie A Sanneh, regional forestry officer, Western Region, has condemned the unlawful acts of people who are massively engaged in tree cutting in coastal areas such as Kartong, Gunjur and Sanyang Villages as detrimental to the indigenous people living in those areas. He has also urged the people to distance themselves from the illegal activity; else the wrath of the law will be used against them.

Mr Sanneh made these statements on Wednesday, during an interview with the Daily Observer at the Western Region Forestry Office in Brikama.

According to him, the illegal cutting down of trees that are taking place in the coastal areas expose the people to threats such as flooding, erosion and many other similar disasters that are extremely detrimental to human life.

He outlined that floods can pose a lot of threats to humans and animals, as well as causing devastation to infrastructures and foodstuffs. "Like wise erosion which carries away the top layer of the soil, thereby leading to soil infertility and low crop production," he said.

He underscored that erosion can as well lead to the formation of gullies that can cause serious threats to farmlands and even the industrial areas.

"And moreso, it can expose the country's economy to a negative impact,"  he noted. Sanneh further emphasised that floods can also lead to low income among the farming families, making it difficult for them to cater for their feeding and the payment of their children's school fees and other social needs. "We can only escape from these threats if we leave the trees and the soil is left fertile and undistorted,"  he added.

He indicated that once flooding due to erosion occurs, the government put a huge amount of money into rehabilitating those affected places, whereas that money should have been invested to build schools, markets, hospitals, construct roads and other development projects. "To this end," Sanneh said, "I am calling on the indigenous people living around the coastal areas to stand firm in assisting the forestry department in curbing the menace of illegal tree cutting."

He reiterated that trees do not only cover and protect people, but they can also provide fruits and shelter for man, as well as providing fodder for animals. He advised that trees could also serve as a source of medical herbs for various diseases like HIV/Aids, hypertension and even cancer.

He added that trees also play a vital role in inducing rainfall and climate change,  thus helping human life by overcoming the challenges of global warming.

In conclusion, Mr Sanneh called on the people of Western Region and The Gambia as a whole to join the forestry department in the fight against illegal cutting of trees. He also asked Gambians to embark on massive trees planting so as to safe themselves from floods and erosion as well as desertification.