A landmark policy the EJP wormed through the budget allocation process, via amendment. After garnering support from some PLP holdouts, it received the votes to be implemented. It was written to prevent its own repeal via an archaic parliamentary rule which allows a supermajority to pass, and consequently require a supermajority for repeal. Basic procedure when amending the constitution can then be applied to regular legislation. When the EJP pulled this trick, it caused an uproar.
But apparently it was worth it!
The plan, implemented over a decade ago across Doatia, is yielding great results. The image above is from the Lorian Hills, what has historically been a lush forest but, as seen above, was mostly finished before the Reforestation plan.
Lorian Hills is next to a sprawling suburban community known as Fairlawn. Fairlawn grew to support Doatians wishing to build families who were moving away from larger cities. Fairlawn is also an industrial community, with many of the original homes being built by Dastergo Industries, a major Doatian Car manufacturer.
The high-demand for housing construction in Fairlawn led to the deforestation of the Lorian Hills. The EJP had a plan to undue the catastrophic damage.
The plan, laid out below by Doctor Eugene McKickberry, Professor of Ecology at the University of Central Doatia and one of the original architects of the plan.
“When we examined the root causes of national deforestation, we concluded that 3 were our top contributors and we should focus on those. They were: forest fires, draught, and deforestation. When we look at 100 years ago to today, Doatia has lost 45% of its trees, and that’s a major improvement. So, we adapted growing patterns and regulated the growth of certain areas to limit the possibility of and spread of a forest fire. We invested in fire deterrents and forest fire fighting. We invested in irrigation, and anti-drought technology to combat the effects of draught and prevent future draughts. As well as boost tree resistance to dry conditions. We limited and outright restricted the cutting down of trees in high-risk areas, and implemented a strict 3-for-1 policy, requiring organizations to plan 3 trees for each the cut down. Furthermore, we invested in direct reforestation and planted over 3 million trees.”
