FAO Forestry country profiles - legislation

Marshall Islands

Forestry legislation

The Marshall Islands became a sovereign state in free association with the United States of America in 1986. The country¿s legislative structure is evolving from a range of US legislation and regulations implemented while the country was a US Trust Territory - many of which remain in force, but will eventually be supplanted by national legislation in due course. US legislation relevant to the Trust Territories includes the National Environmental Protection Act of 1984. This Act, along with the 1988 Coastal Conservation Act, charges the Marshall Islands Environmental Protection Authority with responsibility, inter alia, to "preserve and improve the quality of the environment". Amongst other measures, the Act makes provisions for the preservation of important historical, cultural and natural aspects of the nation's heritage. There is currently no specific forestry or protected areas legislation. Legislative power on the Marshalls is centralized, though each of the 24 atolls has a local government that oversees local forestry administration. In 1996, the government approved a set of national agricultural policies including a policy to specifically address agroforestry on the islands.