Forest Products, Livelihoods and Conservation

Phosiso Sola 259

Regulation Main Theme and Provision

1. Forest Act Provides mandates for the Forestry Commission as a forestry authority
   to protect and conserve forests for the benefit of the nation—including
   control, management and leasing of state forests—and to regulate and
   supervise timber extraction by private landholders and concessionaires


2. Communal • Restricts use of forest products in communal lands to own use Land
   Forest
   
   
   • Provides for rural district councils (RDCs) to grant licenses to Produce
     Act concessionaires to cut trees for commercial purposes
   
   
   • Restricts movement of produce from communal areas
   
   
   • Prohibits use of forest products from protected forest areas and
     reserved tree species
   
   
   • Prohibits removal of trees from within 100 m of riverbanks
   
   
   
   


3. Natural • Allows for the formation of Natural Resource Management Commit
   Resources Act tees with powers to levy taxes and seek grants and
   loans
   
   
   • Empowers the Department of Natural Resources to monitor use of
     communal resources
   
   
   • Calls for clear quantification of costs in monetary and environmental
     terms for any development projects, limiting unnecessary clearing
     of woodlands in development projects
   
   
   
   


4. Communal • Puts control of communal lands under the president through Land
   Act RDCs rather than traditional leaders
   
   
   • RDCs are allowed to develop land use plans that override customary
     land claims
   
   
   • RDCs are empowered to control cutting of trees
   
   
   • Provides for RDCs to grant permits to communities for the use of
     natural resources
   
   
   • Empowers RDCs to enact natural resources management by-laws
   
   
   
   


5. Rural District • Provides for RDCs to enact by-laws to regulate natural resource use
   Councils’ Act • Issues licenses for commercial extraction of wood products
   
   
   • Empowers natural resources management committees to enforce
     the Natural Resources Act
   
   
   • Makes RDCs responsible for long term planning and development
   
   
   
   


6. Traditional • This new act with the objective of empowering traditional leaders
   Leaders Act to become custodians of natural resources, including
   land, is not yet fully understood and accepted

Table 4. National regulations that affect the production of palms and the

marketing of baskets

Source: Nhira et al. 1998.

already facilitated by SAFIRE through development of community resource

management plans. The objectives of these plans are to balance resource

utilisation and conservation through the enhancement of local control systems.

However, the community still thought there were enough palm resources

and enhancement mechanisms were unnecessary.

14PALM.P65 259 22/12/2004, 11:05