By Berio Mbala WINDHOEK The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, through the Directorate of Forestry in the north-eastern part of the country, is issuing permits for forest use to give the community an opportunity to benefit from harvesting timber and dead trees. The system is implemented in areas that have community forestry agreements with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry. Through the use of permits, the Directorate of Forestry is trying to ensure sustainability of forest products, “meaning the forests can still be used by future generations”. According to information forwarded to New Era by the Chief Acting Forester for the North-Eastern Forest Region, Helena Lutombi, procedures are to be followed to obtain the correct type of permit. Three types of permits are obtainable. The first is the Harvesting Permit where members of the community have to go to the Traditional Authority for consent or to the nearest Forestry Office to obtain a permit. The second type is a Transport Permit to enable a person to transport timber or wood to a different location after harvesting the product. The third is a Marketing Permit to show if and where you bought the forest product and where you intend selling it. This permit can be presented wherever the person plans to market the product. A permit is also required for a forest product from outside Namibia, in which case the customer’s papers must verify this fact and stipulate the country from where the forest product came. Lutombi said many people are getting permits that are being sold at various prices. But many problems are still being faced by the community; for example, if the forest could belong to the community, they could manage and protect the forest and forget about the future generations. She also said that some people do not follow the information contained in the permit, such as the quantity of the product they are permitted to harvest. For example, a customer who is given a permit to harvest, say, five dead trees, goes and harvests up to 50 or more trees, which is illegal”. Lutombi pointed out that many culprits are being caught cutting or transporting forest products without a permit and are charged with such offences in court. According to the law on the Forest Act, Section 45 of Forest Act 12 of 2001, a person who contrives to commit an offence against Section 24 Sub-Section 2 is liable on conviction to be sentenced to a fine not exceeding N$8ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years, or both. The Forestry Management Committee will have power to confiscate any wood that is cut, marketed or transported without permission, she said. Finally, Lutombi urged the community to follow the procedures and laws on the “Forest Act” so that they do not find themselves in trouble. “The forests we have today belong to us,” she said, “and also to the generations to come. If we do not manage them sustainably, then our future generations will find nothing in the forests to use”.