DEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS & FORESTRY DIRECTORATE: INDIGENOUS FOREST MANAGEMENT MEASURES TAKEN TO COMBAT DEGRADATION OF NATURAL FORESTS.

DEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS & FORESTRY

DIRECTORATE: INDIGENOUS FOREST MANAGEMENT

MEASURES TAKEN TO COMBAT DEGRADATION OF NATURAL FORESTS

DIRECTORATE: INDIGENOUS FOREST MANAGEMENT

Core Functions:• Promote greater participation in forestry and the

forest products industry by people previously disadvantaged by unfair discrimination.

• Promote the sustainable use of forests for their multiple use benefits and equitable distribution.

• Promote community forestry in which the state and communities jointly manage forests.

• Promote protection of forests.

EXTENT AND DISTRIBUTION

• NFI recently completed• Prior to this there was no reliable information due

to loss of information during homeland administrations and previous delegations.

• 530 000 ha – 0.4% of surface area• Highly fragmented and widely distributed • High levels of bio-diversity• Extremely important in rural livelihoods, as

evidences by high levels of legal and illegal use

Indigenous forests by province(Source: National Land-cover Database)

Eastern Cape38%

KwaZulu-Natal31%

Western Cape15%

Mpumalanga7%

Limpopo9%

1890s - 1940s: Logging of indigenous forests

• Logging of indigenous forests

• Loss of rights and access by local communities – strategic resource for State

• Industrial plantations just beginning

1940s - 1970s: Post war modernisation

• Continuation of logging and intensive development of a yield regulation system & protection emphasis

• Little to no community involvement, reduced access and forced removals

1970s - 1985: Conservation and basic needs

• Greater emphasis on sustainable forest management

• Early experiments with co-management

1985 - Present:

• Emphasis on economic, environmental and socialsustainability

• Principle of co-management and local use rights enshrined in law

• Re-integration of forests under the NFA and design of appropriate management structures

• Forests only staffed from 2000 onwards due to restructuring programmes in government and many still not properly staffed

• Budget still not adequate due to perceived greater social needs

Summary of shifts - Indigenous State Forests

• FROM:• Exploitation of indigenous

timber subsidised by State

• Community loss of access and control

• TO:• Sustainable harvesting,

systems which are economically viable

• Maximising participation of stakeholders in management and benefit sharing

Special measures to protect forests and trees

National Forests Act, 1998

Section 7: Prohibition on destruction of trees in natural forests

All natural forests, whether on state, private or communal land, are protected from:

1.Any cutting, disturbing, damaging or destruction of any indigenous, living tree

2. Removing or receiving any indigenous, living tree from them except through:

1. A licence

2.An exemption under s7

Section 8: Power to set aside protected areas

The Minister can:1. Declare a state forest (or part of it)2. Purchase or expropriate land and declare it or3. At the owner’s request or with the owners consent on land outside a state forest, declare it to be a protected area ( forest nature reserve, wilderness area or any other type recognised in international law

Section 12 - 16: Protection of a tree, group of trees, a woodland or species of trees

The following can be declared protected by the Minister

A particular treeA particular group of treesA particular woodlandTrees belonging to a particular species

Section 17: Power to declare controlled forest areas

The Minister can declare a controlled forest area if this is urgently needed to prevent deforestation or to rehabilitate an area that has already been deforested

DWAF are currently developing criteria for declaring protected

forests as well as a classification system – co-operative governance

essential

PARTICIPATORY FOREST MANAGEMENT

Indigenous Forest Management

• Participatory Forest Management developed on internationally accepted principles which are enshrined in the National Forests Act,1998 (Act No 84 of 1998).

• Seeks inter alia to promote greater participation in the forestry and forest products industry by people previously disadvantaged by unfair discrimination.

• Only moral and practical approach to management of forests that can be sustained in South Africa

• Very necessary given the high levels of dependence and association with forests resulting in ecological sustainability being inextricably linked to socio-economic sustainability

• Forums established on 80% of forests estates to facilitate participation

• Management plans in place which take direct stakeholders needs into consideration

• Extensive funding secured and more available for such initiatives – again requires co-operative governance

• Some projects to promote greater participation and benefit in forests in place and intensive investigation underway for larger scale initiatives

EXAMPLES

• Dukuduku

• Ngome

• Umzimkhulu

Sokhulu – Mthunzini

Plant nurseries

Ntsikeni

TYPES OF DEGRADATION

• Medicinal plant trade

• Conversion for agriculture and settlement

• Roads

• Illegal harvesting of timber for furniture manufacturing

• Unsustainable hunting, firewood gathering and building material harvesting

Measures taken by Regions to combat illegal harvesting:

Eastern Cape:1. PFM forums established in all Forest estates (except Zingcuka, Fractal Forest Africa busy)2. Alleviation of poverty & dependence on forest resources:> Bee-keeping identified in Isidenge> 8 projects identified in PSJ (bee, wood, etc)3. Relocation of Mpantu in PSJ through co-operation with local structures (municipality)4. Illegal roads by local authorities

4. Daily Forest Guard patrols in forest estates5. Coastal patrols by DWAF, DEAT, provincial agencies, SANDF, SAPS, Land Affairs & others.

Kwazulu-Natal:1. PFM forums2. Forest guards daily patrols3. Licensing of bark harvesting in Umzimkhulu. (SS devising a monitoring and yeild regulations system) Value addition.4. Relocation of illegal occupants in Dukuduku

5. Sokhulu-Mthunzini forest conversion to sugarcane (Proposal for devolution to RBM)

Limpopo:1. Community nurseries for medicinal plants at A. T. Mentz and Maheng villages (alleviation of pressure on forests).2. Educational forest tours3. PFM forums

Southern Cape:1. PFM forums (Diepwalle, Farleigh & Tsitsikamma)2. Measures to alleviate pressure on forest resources:> Controlled harvesting and propagation of medicinal plants e.g. Rooi wortel3. Forest guard patrols4. Co-operation with local authorities:> DWAF trained as Peace Officers, can issue fines, authorised by magistrates.

Mpumalanga:1. Most state land is grassland2. Illegal harvesting (firewood) at Mariepskop, the only indigenous state forest:> awareness raising done> Co-operation of indunas and chiefs achieved> PFM forums established3. Forest guard patrol