Forestry Act No. 41 of 1999.

The Act provides for the management of forest in terms of conservation, protection and production. The Act is constituted of 18 Chapters and 84 articles, dealings with forest management, planning, research, development, education, training and enforcing the environmental and socio-economic benefits deriving from the proper administration of those natural resources.
This Act attributes to the forests functions that classify them on the basis of their main feature: conservation forest, protection forest and productive forest (Art. 1, Chapter 1 and Art 2, Chapter II). Conservation forests include natural reserves and hunting areas (Art. 7, Chapter II); Article 28 deals with the utilization of so called production forests and their products. Article 29 provides for the business licence granted to use and dispose of forests and their products. Article 50 deals with protection of forest by means of restrictions and prohibition. Article 67 recognizes the rights of traditional Communities to derive sustenance for their daily needs by the forest they are entitled to live in and empowers them to act as per their tradition without contravening the Act provisions. A long and detailed elucidation of the various articles is published with the Act.