THE Renbel provincial government must immediately request the Ministry of Forestry to post a forestry officer to the province.
A local citizen and elder of West Rennell, Jimmy Puia, expressed his desire about the urgency to have a forestry officer posted at the province.
“In the light of Bintan Mining operation expanding to other wards in west Rennell, landowners need to be briefed on options they should take on which species of trees they should plant in their land as mining exits to other areas.
“This is where the professional advice of a forestry officer is imminently significant,” Mr Puia reiterated.
Mr Puia said the company Bintan Mining SI Ltd has put in place a comprehensive nursery plan to help the landowners to plant suitable, valuable and exportable trees to help sustain their livelihood in the future.
“The onus now is for the province to request the service of a forestry officer to be posted to the province.”
However, when contacted, a spokesperson for Ministry of Forestry said there use to be a forestry officer posted there in the past, but due to housing problem and other small issues, they have to withdrew the staff to Honiara.
“But the officer can be posted back to the province if the province requests us to do so.”
By IAN KAUKUI
