FORESTS, which constitute less than one per cent of Jordan’s total area, have always been under threat from various factors that include climate change, desertification and urbanisation. …The forestry department … said that illegal logging has been turned into a lucrative business due to “weak law enforcement and outdated laws and regulations”…. This was manifested clearly Saturday night when a group of illegal loggers attacked forest rangers in Ajloun…. They cut centennial oak trees, and apparently they will continue their illicit trade, as it seems to be difficult to stop them because they operate as organised gangs.

The forest department director, Mohammad Shorman, said … that his team of more than 500 rangers cannot stop illegal logging around the country, as they are unarmed and lack the authority to enforce the law. Even if the rangers get arms and the legal authority to carry out their work, forests will still be threatened and diminishing all the time unless serious measures are taken to protect them.

Even better than just protection, authorities should embark on a wide-scale tree planting around the country. Such schemes should be supported by community service programmes that can be voluntary or obligatory. They can be voluntary for clubs, societies and companies wishing to implement social corporate responsibility…. And they can be obligatory for violators of laws, as well as school and university students as a graduation requirement, as once was the case at Yarmouk University. The upcoming parliament should incorporate such community service schemes in the country’s laws as soon as possible. Such community services can include many other spheres of life…. —(Jan 6)