According to Tiaan Pool (left), head of the local organising committee, “One of the aims of this symposium is to transfer technical knowledge to fire managers in the context of the catastrophic veldfires that destroy thousands of hectares of veld in South Africa annually.”
Pool added that, “The focus of this year’s event will be on controversial legal matters, environmental impacts of fires, new technology; as well as interesting fire management concepts”.
The approximately 200 delegates can look forward to a variety of interesting talks, including “The Economic consequences of sustainable fire management regimes” by Dr Christo Marais, Chief Director: Department of Environmental Affairs; “The air pollution act – smoke permits needed?” by Peter Harmse of Air Quality Management: Department of Environmental Affairs and “Southern Cape Fire Protection Association (SCFPA) – history, progress and the way forward” by Paul Gerber, Southern Cape Fire Advisor for the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and SCFPA Managing Director.