Power and Duties (mandate) of the organization 

According to Proclamation No. 161/2008 that established the Environmental Protection, Forest and Climate Change Authority, the main responsibilities and functions include the following:

❖Establishing a system to conduct environmental impact assessment on social and economic development laws and programmers, whether government or private projects;

❖ Assessing the environmental impact of social and economic development policies before the necessary laws are enacted for their implementation, and submitting recommendations to the relevant body;

❖ Ensuring that significant environmental impacts of social and economic development projects carried out within the region’s jurisdiction are assessed; reviewing environmental impact study reports submitted to it; notifying the licensing body of its decision; monitoring and supervising their implementation and taking necessary measures;

❖ Ensuring that any production or service enterprises and institutions within the region’s jurisdiction comply with the law issued to uphold their obligations of environmental protection and forest conservation; taking samples; supervising and, where necessary, taking legal action;

❖ Ensuring that environmental standards issued under the country’s law are applied;

❖ Establishing a system for the management and disposal of solid and liquid waste to create a clean and green environment; identifying appropriate technologies and sources for waste recycling; working in coordination with relevant bodies to implement them;

❖ Monitoring and supervising the implementation of policies and laws issued concerning the production, transport, possession and use of hazardous substances or wastes;

❖ Establishing a system for collecting, organizing and using environmental indicator data to promote sustainable environmental management in the use of environmental resources; preparing a comprehensive environmental status and change report; ensuring implementation based on the study;

❖ Designing strategies for the ecological restoration of degraded areas; monitoring their implementation by appropriate bodies;

❖ Conducting studies on the management and use of the region’s biodiversity resources; designing strategies; establishing procedural systems; creating awareness and implementing them;

❖ Establishing a system for the development, conservation and utilization of natural and planted forests; developing and promoting them; protecting them from any damage; determining the use of productive forests; providing advisory and training services;

❖ Establishing and managing research, input multiplication, forest seed quality control centres and laboratories to promote forest research and development;

❖ Granting licences for forest development and the use and transfer of forest products; supervising; taking and ordering legal action as appropriate;

❖ Protecting wildlife resources outside national and regional parks; controlling illegal wildlife hunting; taking measures and ensuring measures are taken; working in coordination with relevant bodies concerning wildlife;

❖ Controlling the illegal trade and transfer of wildlife and their products; issuing permits for movement from one region to another or within the region; monitoring implementation; supervising; arranging transfer to another body or removal; taking legal action; ordering legal action;

❖ Carrying out other related functions that help achieve its purpose.