KATHMANDU: Federation of Community Forestry Users, Nepal (FECOFUN) has expressed its objection to some of the provisions in the Province Forests Act and the Protected Forest Expansion Regulations, saying these provisions imposed multiple taxes and banned in the utilization of the forest products.

Stating that there were some provisions made in the draft of the Forest Regulations prepared to implement the Forests Act, 2076 BS which curtailed the rights of the community, FECOFUN has called for correcting this. FECOFUN president Bharati Pathak said that some provisions in the Province Forests Act formulated by the provincial governments are in contravention of the Federal Forests Act, 2076 BS and have interfered in the community forestry.

She said the declaration of the protected area and its expansion has hampered the community forests. Similarly, FECOFUN said the continuous imposition of three types of taxes on the community forests and the ban on utilization of the forest products has harmed the community forests.

FECOFUN has urged the Government of Nepal and the provincial governments to stop the expansion of the protected area, scrap the three types of taxes and to remove the ban on utilization of forest products. (RSS)