The Sustainable Management of the Industrial Plantation Forests of South Africa: Policy Development and Implementation

Abstract

SYNOPSIS This paper is intended as a basis for discussion of relevant issues regarding management for sustainability in the industrial plantation forests of South Africa. A brief outline of questions relating to sustainability of this sector is followed by a discussion of the concept of environmental sustainability and sustainable forest management. The policies current in South Africa are outlined. A brief review of optional policy instruments for attaining sustainable forest management follows. These include: — prescriptive vs effects-based planning for guiding the choice of development options; — several aspects of environmental management, i.e. of managing for sustainability; — defining sustainability: principles, criteria and indicators; — benchmarking sustainability: performance standards; — achieving sustainability: the process of improving performance through environmental management systems; — recognising sustainability: certification; — rewarding sustainability: labelling; — codes of practice; — the issue of the level at which to manage for sustainability. The paper concludes with suggested requirements for policy implementation. A basis should be laid for a choice of approach to achieving sustainable forest management in the forest industry in South Africa, This approach should — promote a competitive sustainable and equitable sector; — be based upon substantial consensus among stakeholders, and hence robust in the face of public scrutiny; — satisfy local, national, SADC and international norms and expectations; — take account of issues of scale of application; — ideally, lead to an accord among stakeholders that will assist in gaining a concerted approach to assuring sustainable forest management in South Africa. The following as outputs of a review process and a workshop of experts are identified: — identification of optional instruments for achieving sustainable forest management, with the focus on criteria and indicators of sustainability at the core of sustainable forest management systems and performance standards, or the alternatives; — appraisal of these options in terms of relevance, feasibility, and affordability; — recommendations for the way forward.