"natural forest"
means a group of predominantly indigenous trees—
| (a) | whose crowns are largely contiguous in its undisturbed state; |
| (b) | which may represent any successional stage or state of forest degradation, in which case crowns may not be contiguous; |
| (c) | which occur in association with characteristic plants or animals recognised in vegetation science as diagnostic species of a specific natural forest type; or |
| (d) | which have been declared by the Minister to be a natural forest in accordance with section 7(2); |
[Definition substituted by section 1(d) of the National Forests Amendment Act, 2022 (Act No. 1 of 2022), Notice No. 1131, GG46650, dated 1 July 2022 - effective 4 December 2024 per Commencement Proclamation 233 of 2024]