The “Preokret” movement today submitted an initiative to the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management, requesting the suspension of the concession system for forest management and allowing the export of timber from the country only in the form of final products.
Vuk Iković, a member of the “Preokret” movement, stated that they see this as a condition for launching an innovative wood industry, with the aim of utilizing forests for the development of sports, health, and tourism.
“The previous concession policy has allowed ‘untouchable’ companies to purchase a cubic meter of wood from the state for as low as seven euros and then export the same unprocessed cubic meter of wood for over 100 euros. In return, the state received only 14 euros from that cubic meter, while at the same time, locals bought forests of the same quality from the state for about 50 euros per cubic meter or could not acquire the right to cut down forests at all, leading to the closure of numerous local wood processing companies,” Iković said in a statement.
According to him, this has led to certain logging companies making more profit than the municipality on whose territory the company cuts down forests.
“In short, our natural and national treasure is still being managed by the forestry mafia, and this should be stopped as soon as possible,” Iković concluded.
He believes that there are numerous harmful effects of such a forest management model.
“Economic losses are just a fraction of the damage. Another major problem is the consequences after logging, such as the disappearance of water sources, soil erosion, landslides, floods, and the spread of forest diseases,” Iković said.
He claims that all these problems are solvable and that Montenegro can become known for its premium wood products, as well as for utilizing forests for sports, health, and tourism.
However, urgent government intervention in this direction is necessary.
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