|
There has to be balance between the USE and PROTECTION of forests.
Use
There are two ways in which use in the State forests is allowed and they are the “Visit” and “Remove” ways of using the
forests.
- Visit: This means going into a forest to enjoy it. No forest produce or product is taken or removed. Permission
is given to people to visit the forests for the following purposes: Educational; Spiritual; Recreational; and/or Cultural
- Remove: This use of forests calls for regulation because forest produce and products must not be overused (i.e. must
be sustainable). This use is regulated either by Exemption or Licences. Exemption means that communities living near
or around State forests can enter them without a licence but only to take forest produce or products which
they will carry on their own and use for domestic purposes and not for selling, and still within other stipulated
conditions.
A DWAF official may issue a licence which will state what the applicant may do
and how much of a specified product he/she may remove from the forest.
Sometimes a licence fee has to be paid.
Protection
There are various ways to protect forests against offences that may totally
destroy them, which are:
- Controlled use of State forests
- Declaring an area a State forest
- Protection for natural forests
- Protected areas
- Protected species
- Controlled forest areas
- Compliance and Enforcement.
If an activity (with which a license or an exemption is required) is carried in a
forest without such a licence or an exemption, such an activity is an offence
according to the National Forest Act (No. 84 of 1998). DWAF aims at achieving compliance with the objectives of and the
provisions in the Act, by allowing the use of forest resources. Where forests are under
threat due to offences in terms of the Act, DWAF must take appropriate action of enforcing the law.
This is done through the following compliance strategies:
- Working with communities
- Awareness campaigns
- Arresting offenders (as a last resort strategy that DWAF will embark on for contravention of the Act).
>> more information
|
