Estimating the potential role of commercial over-harvesting in resource viability: a case study of five useful tree species in South Africa

Abstract

There is a growing commercialization of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) as a means of livelihood by rural communities throughout the developing world. This often occurs in the absence of any clear understanding of or guidelines regarding sustainable yields and ecological impacts, which may undermine the success of NTFP enterprises, especially from arid regions. This paper reports on the use of size class profiles and three quantitative indices to examine population profiles of five potentially useful tree species used as NTFPs in the semiarid lowveld of South Africa. We also contrast the population densities of the five tree species in 2003 with data from 1992. Low stem densities and population profiles indicated that three of the five species would preclude the establishment of NTFP enterprises based on their products. The other two species seem to have sufficient densities for some harvesting to take place, within an adaptive management framework. However, the longitudinal data indicated that the density of both these species had significantly declined over an eleven-year period, highlighting the need for appropriate management institutions. Additionally, the proportion of mature stems cut, and the degree of cutting per stem, had increased for all five species over the eleven years. The three quantitative indices of population stability were not correlated with one another, and hence provided a useful suite of measures sensitive to different aspects of size class profiles and their interpretation.

The use of indigenous ecological resources for pest control in Africa

“…The use of wild plants is sustainable where they are abundant or where the number of farmers using them matches the capacity of the ecosystem to replenish stocks. However, there are already examples where the demand for medicinal plants has outstripped supply (Shackleton et al 2005; Harnischfeger 2000). Moreover, a lack of knowledge about the chemistry of some species means that it is not possible to currently identify optimal strategies for harvesting some of these species .…”

Mapping land cover change of the Luvuvhu catchment, South Africa for environmental modelling

“…In semi-arid Southern Africa, where rural livelihoods are closely linked to natural resources, forest and shrubland clearing are often followed by soilcompacting activities such as plowing and livestock grazing (Cousins 1999;Shackleton et al 2005;Higgins et al 1999). The Luvuvhu River, located in the Limpopo Province in northeastern South Africa (Fig.…”

Integrating livelihoods and conservation in protected areas: understanding the role and stakeholder views on prospects for non-timber forest products, a Bangladesh case study

“…The extraction of NTFPs is a very common and well recognized way of sustaining local livelihoods throughout the world (Iqbal 1993;de Beer and McDermott 1996;Arnold and Ruiz Perez 1998;Hedge and Enters 2000;Wunder 2000;Angelsen and Wunder 2003;Shackleton and Shackleton 2004;Ticktin 2004;Das 2005;Mahapapatra et al 2005;Rasul et al 2008) and sustainable harvesting of NTFPs is now advocated as ecologically, economically and culturally better forest practice (Uma Shankar et al 2001;Shackleton et al 2005), even though the sustainability has rarely been empirically tested, particularly in the case of PAs (Arnold and Ruiz Pérez 2001;Shahabuddin and Our study clearly suggests that NTFPs play a crucial role in the life and livelihoods of rural forest-dependent people in Satchari area; providing full-time or seasonal employment to about 18% of households, and worth 19% of total cash generated in the area. In both cases, although the contribution of NTFPs was not large, it was very important, mostly for poorer households who directly or indirectly benefit from collection and trading (Dove 1993;Das 2005) and for those who were undoubtedly most vulnerable in this area.…”

“…In recent years, the contribution of NTFPs to alleviating poverty, particularly in the developing world, has been widely recognized (Iqbal 1993;Shackleton et al 2005;Rasul et al 2008). Realizing their potential, NTFP extraction, together with improved market facilities, has also been promoted by conservationists, development organizations and, more recently, by governments, as a strategy to improve rural livelihoods in an environmentally sound way (Belcher et al 2005;Gubbi and MacMillan 2008).…”