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Forest Theme No. 2: March - August 2002
An
important part of looking after our forests are the policies,
laws and codes which are developed to protect them. This theme
has two parts, the first part involved exploring
forest policies at a national level, and the second involved
developing
a code for a local forest:
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1.
Forest Laws in our country: here you will need to explore briefly the legislation in
your country regarding forests.
What laws are there in your country to protect forests?
For whom are these laws written?
How are these laws enforced? Do these laws take into
consideration an ecological understanding of forests, an
economic dimension and a socio-cultural understanding of
forests?
2.
A Code for our Forest: here you need to develop a code of conduct, or a policy,
for a forest near to your school. Briefly describe the forest and why it is important to
you. Then list some
ways in which we can look after the forest including how we
should behave when visiting the forest. This will be your Forest Code.
Contributions to this theme
come from:
Turkey
- Learn
about the protection and development of forests according to
the Turkish Constitution. The law not only protects forests
but people who live near the forest too. You can also learn
about a school's efforts of preserving their local forest.
Bulgaria
- The
contribution from Bulgaria was a joint effort of the Learning
About Forests national coordinator and teachers who did research
on the laws about forests in Bulgaria, and the children who
considered what might be an appropriate law or code for their
own local forests near to their school.
Turkey
From:
Yüksel
Ergen
Learn
about the protection and development of forests according to the
Turkish Constitution. The law not only protects
forests but people who live near the forest too. You can also learn about a school's
efforts of preserving their local forest.
Yüksel
Ergen writes: We arranged a trip to the forest of Tepecik
Municipality near the Büyükçekmece Lake which is 30 km from
our school on 07.06.2002. We did the environment cleaning with
about 60 grade 7 students. We made an official agreement on the
preservation of the forest with the officers of the
municipality. Warning signs about the protecting and preserving
the environment and the forest were put at the entrance of the
forest.
A visit to
the Tepecik forest in June 2002.
The
Turkish Constitution
The following is a summary of Paragraphs 169-170 concerning forestry.
These paragraphs address both the protection and development of forests as well
as the protection of people who live in forest villages.
A. The Protection and Development of Forests
The government has
put into place the necessary laws to protect the forests, to enlarge the areas
and take precautions. New forests are grown in the place of the burnt forests;
other kinds of agriculture and cattledealing cannot take place in these areas.
The government supervises all forests.
The property right of the state forests cannot be given to another
owner. According to the state government law, these forests are managed and run
by the government. These forests cannot be owned with prescription and can be
the subject of servitude other than public benefit. None of the other activities
that will destroy the forests are allowed. Political propaganda which lead to
the destruction of the forests is prohibited. Crimes with the aim of burning the
forests, destroying or decreasing them cannot be forgiven.
Forests areas cannot be decreased except the places which have no
scientific use and which have definite benefits to change into agricultural
areas and the fields which have lost their scientific forest features before
31.12.1981 or the city, town, village building areas.
B.
Protection of Forest Villagers
The Constitution also addresses the development of the people in the forest or
near the forest, for the protection of the forests, with precautions to enable
the government and the public, the reuse of the areas which have lost their
scientific forest features before 31.12.1981; the determination of areas which
have lost their forest features; the inhibition of the whole or a part of the
forest villagers in these areas are regulated with the laws.
The
government takes the precautions to ease the tools and other expenses. The
fields which belong to the villagers who are transferred from these fields are
planted by the government.
Bulgaria
From:
Stanimir K. Georgiev
The contribution from Bulgaria was a joint effort of the
Learning About Forests national coordinator and teachers who did
research on the laws about forests in Bulgaria, and the children
who considered what might be an appropriate law or code for
their own local forests near to their school.
Relations
between man and the forest in Bulgaria are regulated by the Law
of the Forest, accepted in 1997 and the rules for its
application, accepted in 1998.
The
Law of the Forest concerns the ownership and use of the forests
– the management, reproduction and protection of the forests
in the Republic of Bulgaria.
The aim of the Law is the preservation of Bulgarian
forests as a national treasure – main habitat factor, through
their reproduction, sustainable development and multi-purpose
usage, benefiting both the owners and society. The Law gives
clear descriptions and explanation of what the forest is and
what different kinds of forests exist here in Bulgaria,
depending on their purpose and function.
The
Law of the Forest has the following chapters:
I.
Common Regulations:
1.
Forests and Forest Fund /Capital
2.
Ownership
3.
Changes in the Forest Fund /Capital
II.
Organization of the Forest Fund:
1.
Management of the Forest Fund
2.
Organization and account of the forests
3.
Officials in the forest
III.
Reproduction of the forests:
1.
Creation of new forests and fighting the erosion
2.
Cultivation, sanitary and renovation felling
IV.
Utilization of forests and lands in the Forest Fund:
1.
Common regulations
2.
Concessions
3.
Utilization of the wood
4.
Utilization of secondary products
V.
Protection of forests and lands in the Forest Fund:
1.
Common regulations
2.
Protection
3.
Guarding
4.
Control
VI.
Construction in the forests
VII.
Financing of the forest industries:
1.
Common regulations
2.
Incomes in the “Bulgarian Forest” Fund
3.
Expenses from the “Bulgarian Forest” Fund
VIII.
Administrative-punitive regulations
IX.
Additional regulations
The
Rules for the application of the Law of the Forest follow the
structure of the Law and give additional explanations and
interpretations its main regulations.
Children’s
contributions
The
Request of the Forest
Man,
I am the shelter of your house,
Table of your dinner, bed on which you sleep,
The wood, from which you build everything.
I give warmth to your fireplace during the
cold winter nights,
And pleasant shadow against summer sun.
I generously feed your
herds
with my juicy leaves.
My ancestors lie deep in the ground
And you use them for heating.
With my streams and rivers
I water your gardens
And with my green shield
I protect your earth from floods.
Listen to my request:
Use me, but do not destroy me!
Code
for our Forest
1.
Do not break or destroy flowers, bushes, trees!
2.
Do not tread on flowers – let them bloom and make
happy the people coming after you! Do not pick forest flowers
– they are delicate and will not last long in a vase. Some of
them are herbs. Do not pick herbs and mushrooms with the roots!
3.
Do not peel the bark of the trees!
4.
Do not engrave anything on the trunk of the trees.
5.
Do not break the branches and leaves of the trees,
because they are living beings like us and you will hurt them in
this way! Every broken branch is a wound.
6.
Do not fell trees randomly!
7.
Do not kill forest animals – in this way you
destroy the natural balance and the biodiversity of the forest
eco-systems! Let’s preserve the natural wildlife – it is a
priceless treasure!
8.
Do not kill birds and do not destroy their nests!
Birds are irreplaceable sanitary protectors of nature!
9.
Do not hunt in protected areas and out of the
determined periods of the hunting seasons!
10.
Do not use slings and stones, while walking in the
forests or park – you will surely hurt a living creature –
tree, plant, animal, bird, man!
11.
Do not kill insects! If you see an ant-hill – mark
it, so that someone will not step on it after you!
12.
Do not make fire in the forest! Do not throw burning
matches, cigarettes or inflammable things and substances! Do not burn stubbles!
13.
Do not
throw waste in the forest! Do not litter the forest meadows,
streams, rivers!
14.
Do not disturb the peace of the forest inhabitants
– it is their home – let them feel safe in it!
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