Managalas landowners threaten break from conservation

About 152 clans in the Afore Local Level Government area of Ijivitari district, Northern Province has threatened to “unconsent” from the Managalas plateau as a conservation area.

Speaking on behalf of his people, local MP David Arore says its been 30 years since work started on declaring the 360,000 hectares of virgin rainforest a conservation area, but there has not been any benefits to his people.

The Managalas conservation area was officially declared and gazetted in 2017, nine years ago.

Arore queried a 70-million euros or about K500 million multi-partner forest and climate conservation initiative by the European Union and a further K200 million for international conservation and climate funding from France and the European Union to protect virgin rainforests and biodiversity.

He says the Government must sit and talk with locals to gauge their views before declaring conservation areas.

The Ijivitari MP also called for clarity on the Managalas plateau and Government plans - adding the locals are now planning on engaging investors if no serious work is undertaken to benefit the locals:

Since its declaration as a conservation area, the Managalas Plateau has been protected from large-scale agricultural and logging operations.