National Forests Act, 1998 (Act No. 84 of 1998)

Preamble

Purchase

Parliament recognises that—

•	everyone has the constitutional right to have the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations;

•	natural forests and woodlands form an important part of that environment and need to be conserved and developed according to the principles of sustainable management;

•	plantation forests play an important role in the economy;

•	plantation forests have an impact on the environment and need to be managed appropriately;

•	the State's role in forestry needs to change; and

•	the economic, social and environmental benefits of forests have been distributed unfairly in the past.