'Misunderstanding' led to timber looting

Forestry ministry Alpheus !Naruseb claims there was a misunderstanding of laws that resulted in the illegal harvesting of large amounts of protected trees in the Kavango and Zambezi regions.

Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) MP Nico Smit asked !Naruseb why his ministry has issued hundreds of harvesting permits without the requisite environmental clearance certificates (ECCs).

!Naruseb responded in the National Assembly that it was “not very clear” whether the harvesting licences or the ECCs come first.

He said when it was brought to the attention of the ministry that clearance certificates are required first, the issuing of harvesting licences were suspended on 26 November last year, while his ministry and the environment ministry came to an intermediate agreement to allow the continued transportation of the harvested timber to resume.





The issuing of transportation licences for the already harvested trees resumed on 8 February and were valid until 31 March.

!Naruseb said his ministry has followed advice received from stakeholders over the past months and that it will do everything in its power to improve its day-to-day operations, as well as the management and utilisation of the country's forest resources.

Asked by Smit why logging was allowed on a commercial scale, in spite warnings against the “egregious” violation, !Naruseb insisted that the harvesting was authorised in terms of the Forestry Act of 2001, after a forestry inventory was undertaken, and the overall resource assessed to determine the allowable cut.

!Naruseb said ongoing resource assessment recently started in the Zambezi Region.

“Based on the available resources we shall do all possible to carry out research studies and gather all the necessary information that will enable forestry managers to execute well-informed programmes,” !Naruseb said.

He said 250 trees for sawn timber per 2 500 hectares per year can be harvested in the north-eastern regions without causing a “serious” environmental problem.

!Naruseb acknowledged that most trees that have been commercially harvested take more than 100 years to mature.

Asked how his ministry plans to replace the trees that have been harvested, the minister said the ministry is implementing tree-planting and forest conservation programmes throughout the country.

He said it is the responsibility of the land occupiers to ensure that no further tree-harvesting takes place over a given period of time, until the young trees have grown and fully regenerated naturally.

!Naruseb said the agricultural ministry will see to it that no permit is given without verifying that there are adequate resources for harvesting.

He stressed that forest utilisation it is not always a bad thing, if done in a sustainable manner, saying many people in rural Africa depend on these resources for their survival.

Smit also wanted to know if the forestry directory should not be moved to the environment ministry.

!Naruseb responded it is President Hage Geingob's prerogative to do so.



Illegal harvesting, transportation continues

Despite lapsed deadlines, illegal harvesting and transportation have been reported to the relevant authorities, but no arrests have thus far been made.

Most recently, a truck loaded with timber (with number plate N7580UP) was spotted at the Hakahana filling service station in Otjiwarongo on 22 June. Pictures were circulated on the environment ministry's WhatsApp media group.

Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said yesterday the environmental affairs department “has not heard of the truck”.

Muyunda said it is not the department's responsibility to follow the truck.

“It is the duty of the police. The question is how did this truck pass through all the roadblocks, unless it had the necessary documentation?”



CATHERINE SASMAN