Background and setting: The global food price surge of 2006 to 2008 has negatively impacted South African households. Rising food prices adversely affect food security in South Africa. The ever-increasing prices for food commodities and lack of access to finance make it very difficult to strengthen food security amongst households in South Africa. Aim: The aim of the study is to examine the impact of food prices on household welfare in South Africa. Additionally, the study attempts to analyse the short- and long-run relationship between food prices and household welfare in South Africa. This is done by determining how real household welfare responds and/or reacts whenever there is a shock in food prices and its fundamental determinants. Finally, the study attempts to distil recommendations toward a conceptual framework for the mitigation of the impact of high food prices on households in South Africa. Method: The Vector Error Correction Modelling (VECM) technique is utilised to estimate a regression model. Results: The results reveal that a 1% increase in food prices would reduce household welfare by 21.3%. The study, therefore, confirms a negative correlation between food prices and welfare. Conclusion: Short-run policy recommendations include: (1) subsidising staple food baskets for households in South Africa, (2) reducing prices of staple foods through the reduction of food tariffs and (3) reducing household expenditure on basic needs through subsidisation. These policy options could lessen the burden on households when there is a rise in the prices of staple food sources and therefore improve household welfare. Long-run policy recommendations include: (1) improving the unemployment rate in South Africa and (2) improving access to finance and credit for South African households. By addressing the rising unemployment rates and improving access to finance and credit in South Africa through job creation initiatives and improving micro-credit strategies, an environment can be created where households improve their disposable income.

The need for energy security and climate change mitigation have increased blending mandates worldwide; in Southern Africa, demand for biofuels could increase following South Africa's planned blending mandates. However, land constraints limit local industry expansion, with demand likely to be met in land-abundant countries. This paper reviews the status of the biofuels industry in Zambia, as a land-abundant country, for the local and wider Southern African market. It identifies potential biofuel feedstocks as crucial elements for establishing a viable industry. Identified potential bioethanol feedstocks include sugarcane, cassava, sweet sorghum, and maize; for biodiesel, soya beans, sunflower, and groundnuts are the likely feedstocks of choice. However, current production levels are inadequate to meet growing regional biofuels demand, but there is scope for expansion if productivity and production can be increased. Presently, there is no commercial biofuel production, but a fairly adequate policy, regulatory, legal, and institutional framework exists.

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The Endangered Warburgia salutaris (Bertol. f.) Chiov. (Canellaceae), a sought-after medicinal plant in southern Africa, is on the verge of extinction as a result of overexploitation for illegal trade. As part of formulating a conservation strategy for the species in Swaziland we sought to determine its distribution and population status and to revise its national conservation status. Field surveys were conducted in all physiographic regions of Swaziland. Eighteen locations of species presence were found, of which 14 were new records. Three were within protected areas, and seven were in areas worthy of protection. The largest subpopulations occurred in two of the latter areas, Ngudzeni and Sitsatsaweni (351 and 230 individuals, respectively), and one unprotected area, Bulunga (250 individuals). Warburgia salutaris has a severely fragmented distribution and an area of occupancy of 192 km2. Of 700 mature individuals 38% were ring-barked and 7% felled, and some subpopulations had ring-barked juveniles. This indicates a plausible decline in number of mature individuals. Most localities in unprotected areas are eroded and invaded by alien plants, indicating a decline in habitat quality. Our findings indicate that W. salutaris should be categorized as Endangered nationally based on criteria B2ab (iii,v). Although this status implies a lower level of threat than the previous national categorization as Critically Endangered, it does not imply an improved conservation effort in the country, but rather a more accurate assessment based on more data. We have clarified the conservation status of W. salutaris in Swaziland, discovered some previously undocumented subpopulations and identified potential conservation interventions. We recommend that this information be used in setting priorities to ensure conservation of the species.

The work of Public Forest Administrations (PFAs) has evolved from forest management, to sustainable forest management, to management of forests and woodlands for ecosystem goods and services, to climate change mitigation and adaptation. The objective of this review is to give an overview of the capacities of PFAs in forest-related climate work. Findings have shown that though they still exist under national governments like in the colonial era, in the majority of moist forest countries PFAs have been transformed from mere forest protection and conservation into modern people-centred and participatory approaches. In addition, most countries have lack of trained staff personnel to undertake forest and climate change work. PFAs are under-funded because they are not a top priority in national budgets. In addition there is lack of stakeholder participation, unclear access and equitable benefit sharing, inadequate capacity in estimation and reporting on National GHG inventories, in application of the IPCC GPG.