Wildlife authorities in the Lantoto National Game Park in Yei River County have raised concern over ‘massive illegal logging’ of forest plantation.

Lantoto is one of the six national game parks in South Sudan.

The Director of the park, Natalino Lasuba, says the destruction of the forest is endangering the lives of valuable animal and plant species in the park.

He blamed the illegal logging on lack of proper policies.

“We are supposed to work hand in hand with the ministry of agriculture and forestry but they [are] not regulating these lumberjacks….which is very wrong,” Mr Lasuba told Eye Radio.

A civil society organization has urged the government to develop a policy that regulates forest exploitation and environmental protection.

The socio-economic transformation, known as OSET, says a local research group, has indicated that most of the natural and artificial forest reserves in Yei are undergoing massive destruction without replacement.

It has recommended reforestation to save the environment from destruction as well as desertification in the future.

“This is a very dangerous trend that we are getting in. If we have not put in place replacement for the forest that we are cutting, then we are seeing a danger in the future,” warned Malish Stephen, OSET program manager.

Lantoto National Game Park established in 1986 with an area size of 760 square kilometers bordering Garamba National Game Park of the Democratic Republic of Congo.