Local-Level Valuation of Savanna Resources: A Case Study from Zimbabwe
TL;DR: In this paper, a derived demand approach was used to evaluate the savanna woodland resources of two neighbouring villages in Zimbabwe, and it was found that, in both villages, fuelwood for household cooking, wild fruits and poles are the most important in terms of contribution to total value.
Abstract: This paper values the savanna woodland resources of two neighbouring villages in Zimbabwe. Households receive a diverse range of products from a variety of ecologically contrasting sites, and a large number of products are marketed. Whilst the rules and regulations regarding tree-based resources are similar in the two villages, there is a greater degree of enforcement in Jinga, where ecological sustainability is also more promising. Using a derived demand approach, it was found that, in both villages, fuelwood for household cooking, wild fruits and poles are the most important in terms of contribution to total value. The total values obtained for the woodland products investigated are sizeable by comparison to annual cash income. Non-market values (water retention, rainmaking functions, etc.) were ranked highly during participatory rural appraisal techniques. The valuation of a select range of products based on market prices is thus a small component of total economic value.
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Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, the role and importance of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in the daily lives of rural people in South Africa is examined, and the value to rural households is manifest through a daily net function which represents a cost saving to the families involved and to the state, as well as through an emergency net which serves as an insurance in times of misfor- tune, such as drought, disease, and unexpected economic hard- ship.
Abstract: We review and synthesize recent South African work that examines the role and importance of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in the daily lives of rural people in South Africa. The most commonly used such products are wild spinaches, fuelwood, wooden utensils edible fruits, grass hand-brushes, and twig hand-brushes, used by 85% or more of households. More than half the households investi- gated also make use of edible insects, wood for construction, bushmeat, wild honey and reeds for weaving. Individual households may exploit dozens of animal and plant species. The range in annual, direct-use values is large, from less than R1000 per house- hold per year to over R12 000. The value to rural households is manifest through a daily net function which represents a cost saving to the families involved and to the state, as well as through an emergency net, which serves as an insurance in times of misfor- tune, such as drought, disease, and unexpected economic hard- ship. The emergency net function has hardly been quantified in South Africa and internationally. Ad hoc trade in NTFPs is a common emergency net, which in some instances evolves into a permanent way of life. Financial returns from trade are variable, depending on resource type and hours worked, but are typically low. Despite the small cash incomes from trade, they provide an important contribution that complement the diverse livelihood strategies within a household, especially for the poorer sectors of rural society. Moreover, there are non-financial benefits of NTFP trade that are commonly overlooked.
630 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors consider the role of dry forest types, including savannas, using South Africa as a case example and conclude that a large proportion of the population makes use of forests and the resources from them, which probably prevent people from slipping into deeper poverty.
498 citations
Cites background from "Local-Level Valuation of Savanna Re..."
...…demonstrated that it is generally the poorest households who are most directly reliant on non-timber forest products (NTFPs) for both subsistence and cash income (Clarke et al., 1996, Campbell et al., 1997, Qureshi and Kumar, 1998, Cavendish, 2000, Neumann and Hirsch, 2000 and Cavendish, 2002)....
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...In attempting to place a value on cultural aspects of the environment, Campbell et al. (1997) reported that cultural use of the environment and goods accounted for 29% and 16% of total environmental goods value appropriated by residents at Jinga and Matendeudze villages, respectively, in Zimbabwe....
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Book•
01 Dec 2003TL;DR: Martin this article discusses the challenges of integrating natural resource management in the context of alleviating poverty and conserving the environment, including multiple realities, social learning, adaptive management, and models, knowledge and negotiation.
Abstract: List of figures List of boxes List of tables Foreword Claude Martin Preface Acknowledgements Part I. Integrating Natural Resource Management: 1. The challenge: alleviating poverty and conserving the environment 2. Dealing with complexity 3. Getting into the system: multiple realities, social learning and adaptive management 4. issues of scale 5. Models, knowledge and negotiation Part II. Realities on the Ground: 6. Institutions for managing natural resources in African savannahs 7. Forest margins in Indonesian Borneo 8. Learning by doing on tropical American hillsides Part III. The Research-Management Continuum: 9. The spread of innovations 10. Measuring the performance of natural resource systems 11. Achieving research-based management Bibliography Index.
359 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined recent and emerging literature from a livelihood perspective in terms of the role and value of each of these three land-based livelihood sectors, and concluded that the contribution of landbased activities to rural livelihoods is important in both financial and social terms, and probably greater than previously appreciated within the whole gamut of livelihood strategies adopted by rural households, including transfers from formal employment and state pensions.
Abstract: The majority of South Africa's rural population resides in the former homelands. Although cash from urban and government sources is the mainstay of the rural economy in many areas, the multiple and diverse livelihood base of rural households is not widely recognised. This diversity includes the land-based strategies of arable farming, livestock husbandry and consumption and trade in natural resources. This article examines recent and emerging literature from a livelihood perspective in terms of the role and value of each of these three land-based livelihood sectors. We conclude that the contribution of land-based activities to rural livelihoods is important in both financial and social terms, and is probably greater than previously appreciated within the whole gamut of livelihood strategies adopted by rural households, including transfers from formal employment and state pensions. We examine the policy implications of this for land and agrarian reform in South Africa.
306 citations
01 Jan 2001
TL;DR: The complete bibliographic information for this item can be found at http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ ge_at_pubs/181.html.
Abstract: Follow this and additional works at: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ge_at_pubs Part of the Climate Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, and the Systems Biology Commons The complete bibliographic information for this item can be found at http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ ge_at_pubs/181. For information on how to cite this item, please visit http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ howtocite.html.
280 citations
References
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TL;DR: Exploitation of non-wood resources would provide profits while conserving Amazon forests as discussed by the authors, yet little is done to promote their development, which is a concern of mine owners.
Abstract: Exploitation of non-wood resources would provide profits while conserving Amazon forests. Yet little is done to promote their development.
829 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: The Biodiversity Support Program (BSP) was established in 1988 with funding from the Research and Development Bureau of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), under cooperative agreement number DHR-5554-A-00-8044-00 as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The Biodiversity Support Program (BSP) was established in 1988 with funding from the Research and Development Bureau of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), under cooperative agreement number DHR-5554-A-00-8044-00. BSP is implemented by a consortium of World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and the World Resources Institute. The central purpose of the program is to support efforts to conserve biological diversity in developing countries through information, networking, pilot implementation projects, and research and analysis of conservation and development techniques. The cover uses three formats-photo, graphs, and profile-to illustrate the process of monitoring non·-timber forest product harvests. The size-class histograms are derived from measurements like those being taken by the man in the photo. The histogram at time 0 depicts a plant population with a large number of seedlings, fewer saplings and very few adult trees; a similar pattern is illustrated in the profile diagram to the left. The histogram at time 1 shows population structure five years later in a situation where overexploitation has caused a notable decrease in the number of seedlings and saplings. taking diameter measurements in a mixed forest orchard near the village of Ensibau in Sanggau District, West Kalimantan. EJH, CHP, LHP and to all the tropical ecologists and foresters who have laid the foundation for the ideas expressed herein. The promise of achieving conservation and development objectives through "green" forest-based enterprises has excited great enthusiasm. Mechanisms are being devised for ensuring sustainable use of forest products: The Forest Stewardship Council's new certification guidelines for sustainable harvest of timber from tropical forests is one example. Most of the world's forests, however, are harvested for both timber and non-timber forest products (NTFPs). In many areas occupied by traditional societies, management for NTFPs is part of traditional forest management, but new demands on forests are leading communities to seek more formal monitoring processes to guide the allocation and management of their shrinking biological resources. At the same time, managers of protected areas are seeking ways to accommodate the needs of traditional forest users while maintaining the integrity of the ecosystems that the protected areas were created to safeguard. To meet the widespread demand for formal guidance to determine ecological sustainable harvest levels for non-timber forest products, the Biodiversity Support Program (BSP) commissioned the production of Sustainable Harvest of Non-timber Plant Resources in Tropical Moist Forest: An Ecological Primer. As is true for other guidance for ecological sustainability, …
246 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors formulated a set of untested assumptions about the effects of harvesting upon the forest and the economic value of non-timber forest products in both the marketplace and in the daily life of rural people.
Abstract: Recent studies of non-timber products from tropical rain forests have emphasized the economic value of these products and the sustainability of present harvests. Many of these studies rely upon a set of untested assumptions about the effects of harvesting upon the forest and the economic value of non-timber forest products in both the marketplace and in the daily life of rural people. These assumptions were formulated as a series of hypotheses during the workshop held in the Regional Community Forestry Training Center, Kesetsart University, Bangkok, in May 1992. The six hypotheses developed by workshop participants will be used to guide future research. As the hypotheses are tested, the data will be used to create a more realistic assessment of the sustainability and economic value of extraction of non-timber products from tropical forests.
233 citations
Book•
15 Dec 1988
TL;DR: In this article, a guide on how to carry out a wealth ranking exercise is given, which allows researchers to understand quickly the nature of wealth differences in a community and to determine the approximate wealth status of each community member.
Abstract: A guide on how to carry out a wealth ranking exercise. The technique allows researchers to understand quickly the nature of wealth differences in a community and to determine the approximate wealth status of each community member.
225 citations