Community harvesting of trees used as dens and for food by the tree hyrax <i>(Dendrohyrax arboreus)</i> in the Pirie forest, South Africa

Abstract

Forests in South Africa are harvested by local communities for multiple purposes and this affects the animals that inhabit them. The tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus) has a restricted distribution and utilises various tree species as dens and a source of food. In this article, we determined, through a series of interviews in the communities surrounding the Pirie forest, which plant species are harvested by local people and whether these overlap with those used by the tree hyrax. In addition, we determined the extent to which tree hyraxes are hunted by these communities. Of the trees used by the hyrax as dens in the Pirie forest, Afrocarpus falcatus, Schotia latifolia, Andrachne ovalis, Teclea natalensis and Apodytes dimidiata are important resources for local communities. But as these are harvested at relatively low levels, it is unlikely that current harvesting has a large impact on the tree hyrax. Opportunistic hunting occurs, but the hyrax is not targeted by hunters. Very limited commercial harvesting of A. falcatus has been taking place in the Pirie forest since 1975, but its impact on the hyrax population, although undetermined, is also unlikely to be high. We recommend that the Pirie forest tree hyrax population should be monitored by forest management in order to ascertain the impact of both commercial and community harvesting over the past quarter-century.Conservation implications: Tree hyrax populations in the Pirie forest should be actively monitored by management on an annual basis.

Determinants of rural household livelihood dependence on non-timber forest products: A case study from Inanda Community, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

“…Forest resources continue to play an important role to rural communities in developing countries in terms of services, products, and incomes. They have demonstrated to economically dis-advantaged households that they can satisfy everyday necessities such as energy, shelter, medicine, cash incomes, and employment (Kaoma and Shackleton, 2015;Ofoegbu et al, 2017;Opperman et al, 2018;Xu et al, 2019;Leaver and Cherry, 2020;Dalu et al, 2021). Most of such common natural forest resources are referred to as Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs), including wild spinaches, fuelwood, charcoal, wooden utensils, grass fodder, thatching materials, medical plants, edible fruits, construction poles, bark, roots, tubers, leaves, flowers, seeds, resins, honey, and mushrooms (Gautam, 2009).…”

The impact of timber harvesting on nest site availability for the Cape Parrot Poicephalus robustus in native Southern Mistbelt forests of the Eastern Cape, South Africa

“…While this study reports only on legal harvesting, yellowwoods are prone to high levels of informal harvesting, being one of the most commonly used species by forest-edge communities in the Amatholes (Gugushe et al 2008, Opperman et al 2018. Although used for poles and firewood (selective harvesting of small size classes), the sustainability, and potential impact of informal harvesting on future nest site availability for Cape Parrots should be investigated.…”

In situ conservation challenges of Brackenridgea zanguebarica Oliv.: A South African case study

“…This opens the door for illegal harvesting of the plant population across the nature reserve by night. Studies showed that users of popular threatened plants in protected areas harvest illegally at night, often in quantities large enough for both trading and personal subsistence purposes (Chen et al 2016;Opperman et al 2018). In addition, the fence around the B. zanguebarica population is in a dilapidated condition, so its purpose as an effective conservation barrier is questionable as illegal harvesters can easily enter or exit the reserve with little effort.…”