Melany Barrath, people and conservation practitioner for the Garden Route National Park's Knysna area said that the theme for this year's Arbor Week, 'Our Forests, Our Future' "fitted in well with the order of the day".
The event provided the perfect platform for the official signing of the contractual lease agreement between Knysna Municipality and Judah Square Rastafarian community for a piece of land opposite the Rastafarian village to be used as a medicinal plant nursery in future.
"This is a project initiated by SANParks in order to supply traditional herbalists in the area with medicinal plants that are currently threatened within the national park," explained Barrath, and added, "It is envisioned that the medicinal plant nursery will be run for the people and by the people."
In his address, Rastafarian Brother Maxi emphasised the importance of unificatioin in the approach to sustainability and conservation. He explained that unity stemmed from co-operation, and said that co-operation would not work without understanding and that understanding stemmed from communication.
Barrath said, "This day marked a turning point in the Knysna area for conservation agencies, local government and the local people, unified in their efforts to ensure the sustainable use of South Africa's natural resources."
"Of course, one cannot celebrate Arbor Week without planting a tree, or a few," said Barrath in conclusion, and thanked the Department of Agriculture, Forest, and Fisheries (DAFF) for the donation to the medicinal plant nursery custodians (Judah Square) of 40 indigenous trees.
At the signing of a contractual lease agreement between the Knysna Municipality and Judah Square Rastafarian community for land to be used for a medicinal plant nursery, were (from left) Knysna municipal manager, Lauren Waring, Andre Riley, Brother Zebulon, Brother Maxi and Brother Cliffie.
