The Forestry 2030 Roadmap (Forestry Strategy 2009-2030) is a sectoral national roadmap for South Africa. It is in force for the period of 2009-2030. Its main mission is to promote a thriving forest sector which significantly contributes to the country’s economic growth, employment, poverty eradication and transformation by wide consultation/participation in formulating and implementing policies of the forest sector in South Africa. The Roadmap contains the following strategic objectives: (1) facilitate improved timber availability and secure supply of timber to ensure sustainability of entire timber value chain; (2) increase the contribution of all types of forests and related goods and services to the quality of life of South Africans with particular focus on rural and disadvantaged communities; (3) promote conservation of forest biological diversity, ecosystems and habitats, while promoting the fair and equitable distribution of their economic, social, health and environmental benefits; (4) facilitate skills development, awareness raising and information sharing with a view to enhance the profile of forestry as a sector; (5) implement innovative ways to enhance and streamline the regulatory environment to assist the sector to be compliant while reaching its potential in terms of sustainable development; (6) create enabling institutional and financial arrangements for sustainable forest management; (7) maintain the South African forest sector as a knowledge-based enterprise, adapt to addressing constraints to growth in the sector and managing the risks to growth; (8) strengthen international and regional partnership in order to enhance sustainable forest management. As noted above, strategic objective 2 pertains to agricultural measures. Namely, under this objective, the following activities are envisaged, among others: (1) development of national certification standards for self-regulation of plantations and natural forests and review of its effectiveness; (2) promote and support certification of small growers; (3) finalisation of a policy to allow greater security in South Africa’s land tenure systems and implementation of an already adopted model aimed to be used to settle land claims on privately owned plantation areas; and (4) support measures aimed at rehabilitation and conservation of woodlands and natural forests. The document also discusses the issue of disaster management. Namely, it aims to ensure that the strategy to prevent and control pests and diseases is functional and effective. Additionally, it also covers the issue of forest fires noting that an amendment of National Veld and Forest Fire Act will be undertaken to provide for municipal support to fire management. Also, a national strategy for the control and prevention of forest fire will be developed and implemented. Finally, it notes regarding climate change, that adaptive responses to economic, market and technology scenarios as well as climate change scenarios will be developed. The Forestry Branch within the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will be responsible for ensuring effective implementation of this strategy document as well as monitoring and review of the implementation plan.
جنوب أفريقيا · 2009-01-01