SOUTH Africa received R15.57m from the Danish government to improve its capacity to manage indigenous forests, government officials said on Friday. The agreement was endorsed by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry as well as the Danish Co-operation for Environment and Development (Danced) in Pretoria. Indigenous Forest Management director Jabulani Mjwara said the money would be used for the “Develop Capacity in Participatory Forest Management in Indigenous State Forests” project. One of these projects would be carried out in the Northern Province, and two will take place in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. “The overall objective of this three-year project is to improve the sustainable management of indigenous forests that contribute to an improvement of people’s livelihoods,” he said. Communities living closer to these forests would be involved in the project, Mjwara said.