Environmentally non-compliant landowners served with warnings

SEVERAL Garden Route landowners have been served with warnings by the Green Scorpions after the Department of Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries (Deff) conducted a follow-up visit on complaints dating back more than three years, the Southern Cape Landowners Initiative (SCLI) said.

Deff had warned them to either correct infringements on environmental legislation, including the National Environmental Management Act and Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act or to be summoned to court.

Post the devastating fires that raged through the area in 2017, landowners with invasive alien plant infestations were targeted by governmental officials.

Cobus Meiring of the SCLI said despite encouragement and assistance to affected landowners, many choose to ignore the matter.

“Watercourses, valleys and ravines along the Garden Route landscape are more often than not badly affected by invasive alien plants,” said Meiring

According to SCLI, landowners who find themselves guilty of not controlling or eradicating invasive alien plant growth on their land, are normally pre-warned by Deff.

“They are subsequently served with directives to take corrective action or face a court of law. In order to avoid such drastic action, and as a first step towards compliance, landowners are expected to draw up invasive alien plant management control plans, and present them to Deff for scrutiny.

Deff did not respond to queries yesterday. Landowners who want to participate in the SCLI programmes can write to cobus@naturalbridge.co.za or visit scli.org.za