These concerns have been the basis of the negative image of the industry held by many stakeholders. A number of concerns raised by stakeholders have been taken into account in the Sappi Forest management plans since 1995. Plantation forestry in South Africa dates back to 1874 and arose out of the need to conserve limited natural forest resources ( Bigalke, 1983).
Some critics of the forestry sector disagree with the use of the term "plantation forestry". Much concern has been expressed among industry stakeholders about the extent to which the forestry sector is doing to protect the environment. Foresters believe that industry critics have wrongly emphasized the amount of water used by timber plantations.
This decision was due to the severe water shortage in the country and the dissatisfaction of some people with the existing water legislation. A study by Murphy et al. 1995) showed that conservationists and environmentalists disagreed with the benefits of the plan. Edwards (1999) argues that there are huge misconceptions and much skewed information about the costs and benefits of forestry contributes to the damaging image of the forestry sector in South Africa.
The focus from the industry has been to try to overcome these negative perceptions that people have of the industry.
Topography 31
Having a general overview of the study area is useful in assessing whether there are factors that have influenced community members' views on the forestry sector. The study site was the Illovo Nek area in the Richmond area of KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa. Community members involved in the study included ten former employees of Sappi and ten neighboring community members from Gengenshi.
Illovo Nek is located in the KwaZulu-Natal province, approximately 25 km north-east of Richmond (Figure 2.1). Most of the plantations, about 14 OOOha in this area, are under Sappi forests (T. Reedy.pers.comm, 1999), while the remaining about 5,000 ha are under Mondi forests. The settlements are close to rivers/streams as their people rely on rivers/streams for their water for domestic use and for water for their livestock.
The climate and especially the rainfall in this area is very conducive to the successful growth of plantation forests, as they must be grown in areas with an annual rainfall of between 800-1000 mm. Soil in the area is characterized by having a yellow or red color with an apedal structure (Camp, 1999). The area includes a grassland vegetation and the indicator species in this area include Aristida junciformis, Rubus cuneifolia and Solanum mauritianum (Camp, 1999).
A workers' complex exists in the Illovo Nek area and houses most of the forestry plantation workers. The majority of households in the compound use fuelwood for cooking and for heating in their homes. The nearest settlement to Illovo Nek is a settlement called Gengeshi which is about 5 km from the Sappi (S. Phoswa, pers.comm, 1999).
The settlement has a population of 300 people and most of the people working in the plantations are recruited from this settlement on a short-term basis due to its proximity to the timber plantations. The area is not served with electricity, so the local people rely on fuel wood for energy. Wood, which is largely extracted from the plantations, is also used for the construction of houses in the area and therefore the local people of the area are heavily dependent on wood.
Methodology
Methods of Information Gathering
Interviews with forest industry stakeholders, agricultural representatives, government officials and environmental/conservation actors were conducted using a semi-structured approach. The basis for this approach was that the interviewees were professionals directly or indirectly involved in the industry under investigation. This method promoted informal discussions between the interviewer and the respondent, which provided a good basis for the respondents to express and expand their own perspective on the topics under consideration. Personal interviews are conducted in a face-to-face situation, which allows interaction between the interviewer and the respondent.
The nature of personal interviews is that they require the establishment of a relationship between the interviewer and the respondents, which allows the interviewer to clarify information and expressed opinions (Leedy, 1989). Telephone interviews were conducted with respondents in distant locations. Telephone interviews allow the interviewer to determine the same structural characteristics as in-person interviews, but they do not allow the interviewer and respondent to experience face-to-face interaction.
Information Gathered
Selection of Interviewees 38
It also includes stakeholders who provide the public with negative information about forest industry activities. Half of the respondents (ten) felt strongly against people working 10 to 13 hours a day in the forestry industry. However, nine were of the opinion that their attitudes towards the industry had changed after 1995.
Five out of six respondents felt that the forest industry was unfairly singled out and the new water law was being applied on a selective basis to forestry. One respondent was of the opinion that the government was unwilling to appreciate the benefits of the plantation forestry industry. One respondent was of the opinion that the main threat to the sustainability of forest plantations was soil nutrient depletion.
Three respondents believed that the forestry industry upset environmentally concerned people with 'stupid' statements about what they do for the environment. One respondent believed that the fact that the forestry industry goes out of its way to publicize that they have received certification is a true sign that the industry is not sustainable. One respondent felt that it was important to ensure that the country's food requirements are considered a high priority.
This concern was raised in the context of the growing level of poverty in South Africa and the need to alleviate it. He argued that not all people's perceptions of the forestry industry are based on facts. Food was raised as an issue in this stakeholder study by community members given that tree plantations are not edible.
Some of the issues already mentioned under different titles that show that they do not have confidence in the industry include statements like;. The forestry industry undermines the intelligence of the people by telling them half truths about what they are doing for the environment. Finally, the introduction of the legislation could also be understood to mean that the forestry industry is environmentally and socially aware.
Whatever the case, the legislation has undoubtedly made a number of people aware of the existence of the forest industry and its impacts. Although the forestry industry has changed its practices significantly in the intervening period to ensure that the industry's impacts on the environment and society are reduced, they have not had much impact on people's perception of the industry. Many of the issues of concern are not unique to the forest industry, yet stakeholders perceive them as such.
The forestry sector has been active for a long time and will continue to exist. Perceived benefits and concerns form the basis of people's opinions about the sector.
