VI. EXISTING MECHANISMS AND THEIR EFFECTIVENESS IN MONITORING ENFORCEMENT
[ VI | VI-A | VI-B | VI-C | VI-D ]
C. Effectiveness of monitoring
[ C | C-1 | C-2 | C-3 ]
3. Lack of awareness
A regulatory mechanism such as the licensing/permit granting system will be effective if the community is clearly aware not only of its existence but also the aims/goals of that mechanism.
Very often in Tonga, communities remain unaware of licensing/permit granting mechanisms mainly because they have not been consulted during the development process or because no attempt has been made to bring about awareness.
In addition, the penalties attached to any licensing/permit granting mechanism must act as effective deterrents to ensure the achievement of associated goals/objectives.
In the forestry, pesticides and building control licensing/permit granting mechanism, the stipulated penalties do not appear to constitute sufficient deterrents. As a result, there is widespread abuse and most of the undesirable actions go undetected by the system. Even when they are detected, the offence is often repeated since the fine is much lower than the benefits gained from bypassing the system.
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