Hururu, an Amerindian community in Region Ten, has signed a lease agreement with Chinese forest company Baishanlin Forest Development Inc., for 24.7 acres of land that will see the company constructing a wharf, a log pond and buildings, GINA said.
The village’s Toshao, Winsbert Benjamin, yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding, with General Manager of Baishanlin, Han Zhen Jun, for a 15-year lease that will see the village benefitting from $5,000 per acre, GINA said.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai and members of the Village Council of Hururu and the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment at the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.
The MoU will also facilitate the construction of two-storied buildings, and a parking area, to accommodate equipment.
Baishanlin has had a controversial presence in the country. It has been accused of widespread logging for export without investment as promised in value-added forestry. It has also been accused by Region 10 communities of extracting resources such as laterite and damaging roads and not repairing them. In Region Nine, it was accused of reopening trails that could lead to further damage to the ecosystem.
Sukhai said, according to GINA, that the signing of the agreement followed the process of free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous people, who had discussions regarding the proposals sent to them.
Toshao Benjamin said that the two bodies had worked hard during the past year, and that the three-year relationship with Baishanlin has led to the agreement. He thanked the company for its support over the past years.
The company’s General Manager Zhen Jun, expressed appreciation for the co-operation among the stakeholder entities and the village, and promised to stick to the terms of the MoU. The company has pledged to construct 2.5 miles of roadway for the village, costing $12M. It will also establish a sport facility, based on the needs of the youth of the area, GINA said.
There will be no log harvesting on the 24.7 acres of land, and monitoring will be done by the Village Council, with the ministry having oversight, to ensure that the lease agreement is honoured, GINA added.
