DEPARTMENT%20OF%20WATER%20AFFAIRS%20

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DEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS FORESTRYDIRECTORAT
E INDIGENOUS FOREST MANAGEMENT

• MEASURES TAKEN TO COMBAT DEGRADATION OF NATURAL
  FORESTS

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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1970s - 1985 Conservation and basic needs

• Greater emphasis on sustainable forest management
• Early experiments with co-management

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1985 - Present

• Emphasis on economic, environmental and social
• sustainability
• 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

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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

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Special measures to protect forests and trees
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National Forests Act, 1998

• Section 7 Prohibition on destruction of trees in
  natural forests

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All natural forests, whether on state, private or
communal land, are protected from 1.Any
cutting, disturbing, damaging or destruction of
any indigenous, living tree2. Removing or
receiving any indigenous, living tree from them
except through
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1. A licence 2.An exemption under s7
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Section 8 Power to set aside protected
areasThe Minister can1. Declare a state
forest (or part of it)2. Purchase or expropriate
land and declare it or3. At the owners 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
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Section 12 - 16 Protection of a tree, group of
trees, a woodland or species of treesThe
following can be declared protected by the
MinisterA particular treeA particular group of
treesA particular woodlandTrees belonging to a
particular species
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Section 17 Power to declare controlled forest
areasThe 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
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DWAF are currently developing criteria for
declaring protected forests as well as a
classification system co-operative governance
essential
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PARTICIPATORY FOREST MANAGEMENT

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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

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• 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

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EXAMPLES

• Dukuduku
• Ngome
• Umzimkhulu

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• Sokhulu Mthunzini
• Plant nurseries
• Ntsikeni

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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

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Measures taken by Regions to combat illegal
harvestingEastern Cape1. PFM forums
established in all Forest estates (except
Zingcuka, Fractal Forest Africa busy)2.
Alleviation of poverty dependence on forest
resourcesgt Bee-keeping identified in Isidengegt
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
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4. Daily Forest Guard patrols in forest
estates5. Coastal patrols by DWAF, DEAT,
provincial agencies, SANDF, SAPS, Land Affairs
others.
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Kwazulu-Natal1. 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)
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Limpopo1. Community nurseries for medicinal
plants at A. T. Mentz and Maheng villages
(alleviation of pressure on forests).2.
Educational forest tours3. PFM forums
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Southern Cape1. PFM forums (Diepwalle, Farleigh
Tsitsikamma)2. Measures to alleviate pressure
on forest resourcesgt Controlled harvesting and
propagation of medicinal plants e.g. Rooi
wortel3. Forest guard patrols4. Co-operation
with local authoritiesgt DWAF trained as Peace
Officers, can issue fines, authorised by
magistrates.
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Mpumalanga1. Most state land is grassland2.
Illegal harvesting (firewood) at Mariepskop, the
only indigenous state forestgt awareness raising
donegt Co-operation of indunas and chiefs
achievedgt PFM forums established3. Forest guard
patrol