Forest Protection (Amendment) Act, 2002 (No. 624 of 2002)

The Forest Protection (Amendment ) Act, 2002. Act 624 Act 624 THE SIX HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOURTH ACT OF THE PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA ENTITLED THE FOREST PROTECTION (AMENDMENT) ACT, 2002 AN ACT to amend the Forest Protection Decree 1974 (NRCD 243) to provide for higher penalties for offences therein and to provide for related purposes. DATE OF ASSENT: 2nd May, 2002. BE IT ENACTED by Parliament as follows: Section 1 and 2 N.R.C.D 243 amended The Forest Protection Decree, 1974 (NRCD 243) is amended as follows: (a) By the substitution for subsection (1) of section 1 of the following new subsection Back to Top "Forest Offences 1. (1) Any person who in a Forest Reserve without the written consent of the competent forest authority (a) fells, uproots, lops, girdles, taps damages by fire or otherwise damages any tree or timber; (b) makes or cultivates any farm or erects any building; (c) causes any damage by negligence in felling any tree or cutting or removing any timber; (d) sets fire to any grass or herbage, or kindles a fire without taking due precaution to prevent its spread; (e) makes or lights a fire contrary to any order of the Forestry Commission; (f) in any way obstructs the channel of any river, stream, canal or creek; (g) hunts, shoots, fishes, poisons water or sets traps or snares; (h) subjects any forest produce to any manufacturing process or collects, conveys or removes any forest produce; or (i) pastures cattle or permits any cattle to trespass, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding 500 penalty units or to imprisonment not exceeding 2 years or to both, except that for a second or subsequent offence under this section the offender shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than 250 penalty units or to imprisonment not exceeding 3 years or to both; (b) by the substitution for section 2 of the following new section: Back to Top Offences relating to marks. 2. Any person who (a) knowingly counterfeits or fraudulently uses upon timber or standing tree a mark or indicates that the timber or tree is the property of any person; or (b) without the written consent of a Forest Officer alters, defaces or obliterates a mark placed on any timber or tree; or (c) alters, moves, destroys or defaces any boundary mark of any Forest Reserve; commits an offence and is on summary conviction liable to a fine not exceeding 500 penalty units or to imprisonment not exceeding 2 years or to both, except that for a second or subsequent offence under this section the offender shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than 250 penalty units or to imprisonment not exceeding 3 years or to both"; and (c) by the insertion after the definition of "cattle" in section 10 of the following: "competent forest authority" means a forest officer with the rank not below Assistant District Manager who is able to take decisions on behalf of the Executive Director of the Forest Services Division or the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission". Repeal 2. The Forest Protection (Amendment) Law 1896 (PNDCL 142) is repealed.