8th November, 2001  
Resolution #1:

Title:
Restoration of the Southern Cape Forests
Proposed by: Alan Watson Featherstone
Seconded by: Jennifer Lawrence, Tertius Schoeman

WHEREAS,

Deforestation and the resultant extinction of species is a critical global problem, and is a major environmental issue in Africa, especially in the Congo Basin, Madagascar, and West Africa;

In South Africa, the Southern Cape Forests, which represent a unique outlier of the Afro-montane forests, have been reduced to a small fraction of their original extent;

The remaining isolated fragments are scattered throughout their former range and most are of insufficient size to ensure their biological and ecological integrity;

These forest fragments are undergoing continuous degradation as a result of, for example, damage from recent fires in adjacent plantations of  non-native pines and the planned widening of the Highway N2 through the Plaatbos Nature Reserve;

No regeneration of these forests is taking place because of grazing pressure on cleared, formerly forested land and the planting of exotic tree species right up to the edge of the indigenous forest remnants;

South Africa, because of its innovative conservation policies and long-standing statutory recognition of wilderness areas, is uniquely placed to pioneer the ecological restoration of indigenous forests in Africa as part of the vital task to achieve ecological and economic sustainability for Africa in the decades ahead; and

THEREFORE, the 7^th World Wilderness Congress

Congratulates the SA Government and agencies for removing non-native plantations, and in some cases replacing them with indigenous forest species, from numerous important ecosystems such as the Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia;

Recognizes the good work and excellent results of the Working for Water programme in involving local communities in such work; and

RESOLVES, that

The South African Government should further:

• Develop and implement a coordinated plan for the ecological restoration of the southern Cape Forests, to return the indigenous forest to suitable areas of its former extent (including some of the existing non-native pine plantations), and to link up the surviving forest fragments, thereby re-establishing a much larger contiguous and ecologically viable forest ecosystem;
• Involve the relevant agencies, such as SAN Parks and SAFCOL, non-governmental organizations and local communities in the drafting of the plan, to ensure that it meets both ecological targets and the economic needs of the people, through, for example, expanded ecotourism opportunities.
• Allocate adequate funding to employ disadvantaged people in the practical work of ecological restoration, such as planting native tree species and the removal of exotic ones, so that local communities become active partners in the return of their natural heritage;
• Make an initial announcement of its commitment to the restoration of the Southern Cape Forests at the major international conference, Restore the Earth, held at Findhorn, Scotland, 30th March - 5th April 2001, launch a detailed plan at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, September 2001, and present a progress report at the 8th World Wilderness Congress.

Proposed by:

Alan Watson Featherstone,
Executive Director,
Tress for Life & Restore the Earth Projects,
The Park
Findhorn Bay
Forres IV36 3TZ
Scotland

+44 1309 691292 tel
+44 1309 691155 fax
trees@findhorn.org

Seconded by:

Jennifer Lawrence
Founder and Trustee
The Garden Route Trust for Community Development and Environment
P.O. Box 45,
The Crags 6602
Western Cape,
South Africa
+27 44 5348751 tel
khoinania@global.co.za


Tertius Schoeman
Project Manager
Tsitsikamma CoastCare Project
Tsitsikamma National Park
P.O. Box 138,
Patensie
Eastern Cape 6335
South Africa
+27 42 2811607 tel
tersam@xsinet.co.zal