General Directorate of Forests (DGF) Announces New Regulations for Visiting National Parks and Nature Reserves
The General Directorate of Forests (DGF) has called on all individuals wishing to visit national parks and nature reserves to obtain prior authorization from the Regional Commissariats for Agricultural Development (CRDA) in the concerned region.
New Authorization Procedure
In a statement released on Wednesday, the DGF added that the request must be submitted seven days before the visit date by email to the concerned CRDA and the General Directorate of Forests. For groups of more than four people, the DGF specified that the organization must be ensured by an association, a travel agency, or a legally authorized structure. The request must include the qualifications of the group leader as well as the identity of all participants, except for official visits and families.
Responsibilities and Obligations
According to the statement, after obtaining authorization and under their responsibility, the applicant must inform local and regional authorities of the visit date and the list of participants. The General Directorate of Forests also emphasized the need to maintain the cleanliness of the protected area and to remove all waste resulting from the visit.
Prohibited Activities
The DGF prohibited the following activities:
- Camping
- Lighting fires
- Producing noise pollution
- Introducing and using musical instruments and sound amplifiers The DGF requests that visitors comply with the instructions of the protected area managers and limit their presence and circulation to authorized zones and spaces only.
Refusal of Authorization and Penalties
The DGF reserves the right to refuse received requests, taking into account the park's hosting capacity. It added that it is possible to impose entrance fees for access to protected areas, in accordance with current regulations. Finally, it highlighted that any violation of the mentioned conditions and procedures, or any damage caused to the protected area, will expose the authorization holder to criminal prosecution in accordance with the Forest Code, in addition to being banned from visiting protected areas again.
