George Campus does NMMU Proud at Forestry Indaba

This year the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery (DAFF) joined up with NMMU in hosting a Forestry Indaba leading up to the World Forestry Congress (WFC) that is due to be held in September this year. The Indaba, hosted at the NMMU George Campus, was a three day event that aimed to bring together a range of stakeholders from the forestry and related industries. The Director of the School of Natural Resources Management, Prof Josua Louw said that the George Campus was a “fantastic host for such an event due to the forest and mountain landscape.”

Commencing on Monday 13th July, the three day programme functioned under the WFC’s main theme of Forests and People: Investing in a Sustainable Future, and touched on the same topics that will be covered at the WFC later this year. These included forests for socio-economic development and food security; encouraging product innovation and sustainable trade; monitoring forests for better decision making as well as improving governance by building capacity. Day two touched on one of the major themes – the youth – showcasing the inputs and contributions from senior students. This was done through the interactive process of a youth dialogue.

Prof Louw stated that “the various formal presentations, discussions, dialogues and activities had more than enough substance for South Africa to approach the actual Conference (WFC) with confidence.” “It is clear that the already dynamic and vibrant South African forest industry will face new challenges and opportunities in the near future, and the Indaba served as a great platform to analyse the various aspects,” Prof Louw went on to say. The event also saw the DAFF Deputy Minister, General Bheki Cele and Director General, Prof Edith Vries planting an indigenous tree in the Campus’s Eco Corridor to mark the historic occasion. NMMU George Campus Marketing and Corporate Relations manager, Alet van Tonder, stated that the “feedback from all major stakeholders confirmed that the event has been very successful, in terms of logistics, lively debate and technical content… The exposure that NMMU received will serve us good for many years to come.”