Exploring the Options for Fuelwood Policies to Support Poverty Alleviation Policies: Evolving Dimensions in South Africa

Shackleton, Charlie M.; Buiten, Erik; Annecke, Wendy; Banks, D. I.; Bester, J.; Everson, Terry; Fabricius, Christo; Ham, Cori; Kees, M.; Modise, Mapule; Phago, M.; Prasad, Gisela; Smit, Wiebe; Twine, Wayne; Underwood, M; Maltitz, Graham von; Wenzel, Peter

doi:10.1080/14728028.2007.9752604

Cited by 22 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…T. sericea was chosen as the study species because more knowledge of its regenerative capacity can contribute to management recommendations for sustainable utilization. This was also because of its high capacity for coppicing and its tendency to form thick stands (Shackleton 1993;Neke 2004;Shackleton et al 2004). …”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of repeated cutting on coppice response of Terminalia sericea

Moyo

Scholes

Twine

2014

Trees

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Key message Although exposure to multiple cutting cycles reduces stored reserves, shoot diameter and shoot length, it, however, increases shoot production per resprouting stump and foliar nitrogen. Abstract In disturbance-prone environments with fluctuating seasonal rainfall such as savannas, the repeated cutting of the same trees eventually results in a possible decline in tree abundance. The effects of subjecting Terminalia sericea trees to one, two and multiple (eight) cutting events over a period of 2 years on coppice response were investigated in a savanna woodland in South Africa. Resprout shoot diameter, shoot length and the total cumulative diameter were lower in trees exposed to a high number of cutting events compared to trees exposed to one cutting event. Increasing the number of cutting events significantly reduced stem total non-structural carbohydrate levels in trees indicating a depletion of stored reserves. Foliar carbon content remained largely the same, while leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations significantly increased with each cutting event, relative to uncut trees. Results indicate that trees cut once had not replenished depleted carbohydrate reserves even after a period of 18 months during which no cutting took place. Sustainable utilization of this tree species must allow for at least more than 18 months of undisturbed growth between harvests to allow for the replenishing of reserves.

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Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of repeated cutting on coppice response of Terminalia sericea

Moyo

Scholes

Twine

2014

Trees

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“…Firewood is also seen as an important contributor to social and cultural practices, a role that other energy sources cannot fulfill (see White et al, 1997 [45]). From this, Shackleton et al (2007) [46] expect that rural firewood use will remain unchanged at least into the medium-term as household financial insecurity and preferences will, for the most part, continue to sideline the use of substitute fuels.…”

Section: Resource Use In South African Communal Landsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chiefs in a Democracy: A Case Study of the ‘New’ Systems of Regulating Firewood Harvesting in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Findlay

Twine

2018

Land

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Much of the international commons literature reveals a decreased functioning of local traditional institutions that regulate natural resource harvesting. In South Africa, it is believed that the creation of new democratic structures at the end of Apartheid has contributed significantly to the deterioration in traditional resource regulation and this in turn has led to the extensive resource degradation seen in parts of the country. Many of these assertions, though, remain anecdotal in nature. Given the high reliance by rural households on natural resources, and the serious negative implications that over-use has on livelihood security, understanding how well or poorly such commons are regulated is key to ensuring the sustainability of such resource-dependent populations. The aim of this study was therefore to examine systems of resource governance, focusing specifically on firewood, and to determine the roles of traditional and democratically elected community leaders in six rural villages spanning two chieftaincies in Bushbuckridge, South Africa. In each study village, five local leaders were interviewed and five community focus groups were conducted. Results indicate that most parties still regard the Chief as the ultimate authority for regulating firewood harvesting. However, overall firewood management appears weak, at best, across the region. Although some authors attribute this to community confusion over the roles of local leaders in a new democracy, we provide evidence that other socio-political factors, including political expediency, may be driving the increasingly relaxed implementation of these firewood management systems. With resource dependence remaining a vital contributor to livelihood security across the developing world and with many rural communities facing increasing strain under local resource depletion, these findings shed new light on the complex social dynamics underlying the widely reported weakening of traditional institutions in South Africa. In so doing, it offers insights into local firewood governance that can be used to combat these challenges and thereby reduce regional social and ecological vulnerability being experienced in communal landscapes across the region.

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“…For example, in a protected area owned by the local community in South Africa, it was observed that harvesting is much less than supply, and that there was no evidence of the cutting off of branches or of depletion of deadwood near human settlements (Shackleton et al, 2003). Therefore, the sustainability of the use of deadwood depends on the knowledge of wood availability, on wood productivity and formation of deadwood, and on the people's demand in each wooded area (Shackleton et al, 2007). There are studies showing the inhabitants' preference for certain wood species when using this resource.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%